Legarda urges COMELEC to name precincts with no automatic transmission

April 15, 2010

NP-NPC-LP VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE LOREN LEGARDA URGED THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS (COMELEC) TO INFORM THE CANDIDATES OF THE PRECINCTS WHICH WILL HAVE NO AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION COME ELECTION TIME, IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT NEWS THAT THIRTY PERCENT OF THE VOTE CANVASSING WILL BE CONDUCTED MANUALLY.
“We have crafted the law providing for automated elections, and mandated that 100% of the transmission and counting of ballots should be automated. Voting, of course is still a manual activity. It’s the transmission and counting that has been automated,” explained Legarda.
“Of course, it’s no longer productive to start ranting about how everything should have been automated. We have less than thirty days before the elections, and by hook or by crook, we have to make sure that first, elections will proceed, and second, that it will conducted fairly and honestly,” Legarda said.
“My challenge to the COMELEC is to name the precincts where voting will be manual all the way, i.e., those where counting and transmission will be manually conducted, so that everyone would be more vigilant in guarding their votes,” Legarda said.
“In our camp for instance, we will deploy more poll watchers in areas where the counting and transmission remains manual,” said Legarda.
Legarda points out that “the validity of the national elections is crucial in maintaining the political stability in the country. We have to assure people that their vote has been counted and that they really took part in deciding who our country’s leaders will be.”