Urges Comelec to reconsider accreditation

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) should reconsider its decision junking the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections' (Namfrel) petition to be accredited as the poll body's citizen arm in the upcoming national elections, the chair of the citizens' poll watchdog said.

Jose Cuisia, chairman of Namfrel, on Thursday questioned Comelec's grounds for denying the group's petition for joint accreditation with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines'-National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (CBCP-Nassa).

He stressed that the Comelec needs all the help it can get to ensure accuracy and fairness in the Philippines' first automated elections.

"We were surprised (by Comelec's decision). Because we believe that in this election, when we'll have automated elections for the first time, it's very important to have all safeguards. But they still denied our accreditation," Cuisia said in an interview on ANC's afternoon newscast "Dateline Philippines."

In a resolution dated January 25, Comelec rejected Namfrel's petition for joint accreditation with CBCP-Nassa, citing the group's "partisan leanings." (Read: It's final: No Namfrel role in polls)

The poll body said Cuisia has been critical of the Arroyo administration, while Jose Concepcion, Namfrel's founding chairman, was said to be a known critic of former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada.

Cuisia, however, made it clear that he is not going against President Arroyo or any of her allies. He also stressed that he is not supporting any presidential candidate.

"Are they saying that I've been partial because I've so-called rubbed elbows with President Cory Aquino? Does that follow that I am against the administration? I don't think so. Former Namfrel chair Joe Concepcion has also denied statements saying that he's critical of Joseph Estrada," he said.

"I'm not connected to any presidential candidate. I cannot endorse anyone because I'm connected with Namfrel. I've stated that very clearly," he added.

Aquino, who died in August last year, is considered an icon of Philippine democracy after the EDSA "People Power" revolution removed the Marcos dictatorship in 1986.

Her only son, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, is seeking a presidential seat in this year's polls under the Liberal Party.

Estrada, on the other hand, is a former president who was ousted in a second "People Power" uprising in 2001 and was later convicted of plunder. He is also running for president under the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) party.

'A hard time'

Comelec, in its resolution, had argued that Namfrel failed to present proof that it has authorized Cuisia to file the petition for accreditation last December 17.

The poll body also questioned the alleged union made between Namfrel and CBCP-Nassa for the joint accreditation, saying that they failed to submit any document that signifies the collaboration between the 2 groups.

Cuisia, however, pointed out that Comelec could have simply asked for the necessary documents if they needed to verify his authority or the validity of the tie-up between the 2 groups instead of junking the petition outright.

"They said there's no board resolution yet, so Comelec is questioning my ability to represent Namfrel. But they could've easily asked for it if that's what they needed," he said.

"They could've also asked for documents to prove that we've been working together with Nassa," he added.

As to his alleged partisanship, Cuisia said he was not even given a chance to air his side before the Comelec denied Namfrel's petition.

"They didn't even ask me to appear before the Comelec to explain my side. You can make your conclusion from there. It's as if they're giving us a hard time," he said.

Still in the game

In a separate concurring opinion, Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento earlier said that Namfrel's petition is unlikely to be granted as the poll body already accredited the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) as the official citizen's arm for this year's polls.

Being an accredited citizen's arm will entitle a group to get a fourth copy of the election returns (ER), the certificates of votes to be generated by the automated machines, and the seventh copy of the manually prepared ERs, if any.

Cuisia said they are still hoping for the Comelec to reconsider its earlier decision to junk their petition. But even if they don't, he stressed that Namfrel will still have a role in the upcoming elections, albeit a different one.

"We'll probably adopt a different role. It'll be a lot more difficult for us to be an election watchdog (if we're not accredited), but our role continues. In the meantime, we'll still file the petition for accreditation, for whatever it's worth," he said.

He added that PPCRV can help them out in convincing Comelec to make them an accredited citizen's arm.