Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman Jose Melo on Thursday announced that that the “deadliest deadline” for finalizing the poll automation budget is May 21.

Beyond that, he said, the country would have to settle for a “hybrid election” wherein local elections would be conducted manually and national elections would be automated.

“Time is running out. When the time comes, we may be too late. But we will have to wait for what Congress says about the budget,” Melo said in an interview with ANC's Dateline Philippines.

He also said securing the budget before May 21 would assure that biddings would be completed and firms would be awarded in time to customize machines and train people needed for the election automation pursuant to the provisions under the Government Procurement Law (R.A. 9184).

Melo also clarified that COMELEC could conduct biddings in procuring computerized polling machines, but they cannot award any firm with a contract unless the Senate and lower House passes the automation bill into law.

Melo had earlier criticized the hybrid system of elections, which was originally proposed by Paranaque 2nd District Rep. Roilo Golez, saying that the set-up would not prevent electoral fraud and would also be expensive.

“If we revert back to manual, even partial only, we would not be able to eliminate electoral fraud. Cheating will do once again be easy to do,” Melo told The Philippine Star Wednesday.

Melo had pointed out that a hybrid system would add P2 billion to the required supplemental budget because aside from computerized poll machines, the government would have to spend on election paraphernalia. “That would be more expensive. It would be like conducting two elections,” he said.

Approved next week?

With only three session days left before Congress adjourns for a month-long Lenten break, and with intense pressure from the COMELEC, a member of the House of Representatives announced that the P11.2-billion supplemental budget to automate the 2010 polls could be approved by next week.

Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, vice-chairperson for the House Committee on Appropriations, told ANC he was hopeful that the House will be able to pass the budget before it goes into recess.

“During the caucus, majority of Congressmen were willing to go for it. Of course, we can’t control those who will employ parliamentary measures to delay the vote and therefore[we run out of time. But from what I gather, from what I sense, they are really going to push for a vote,” he said.

The House approved the P11.2-billion supplemental budget for poll automation Wednesday evening, with a condition that a companion bill be passed that would “attempt to clarify what they consider unclear provisions in the electoral law.”

Senate commitment

The Senate Committee on Finance had earlier approved the supplemental budget on the condition that the COMELEC hold its procurement for computerized polling machines openly, publicly, and transparently. It promised that the Senate would definitely pass the bill once the House makes a decision.

“We want to be able to implement the mandate of the law which we passed 10 years ago that we must now begin to automate our electoral exercise for speedy, accurate, and more orderly results. We’re going to remove the doubt on the legitimacy of the election [of a candidate], speed up counting, minimize human intervention,” Sen. Edgardo Angara, Senate finance committee chair told ANC.

The supplementary budget is pursuant to Republic Act 9369, which provides for the full automation of elections nationwide. R.A. 9369 amended R.A. 8436, which only provided for poll automation in select provinces and cities chosen by the COMELEC.

Elbow room

Biazon, meanwhile, said that the House leadership was still giving “elbow room” to several congressmen who wanted to propose amendments or conditions.

“Some would like details on how to spend the money and even how COMELEC would select the system that would be used. There are those who are simply resisting new technology, something like a fear of the unknown, that the automated counting system may be used as an automated cheating system,” he said.

Biazon added that other concerns involved the lack of a biometric system for voting, the lack of a paper trail which can be used to validate alleged cheating. He said that they were deliberating on whether to draft a separate measure or to pass an accomanying bill in order to incorporate amendments and safeguards.

"My concern is that we may not have enough time to draft that companion bill, pass it through legislative process, and pass it on time. If the appropriations bill is passed, the the COMELEC can proceed," he said.

R.A. 9369 or the Election Modernization Act, which provided for the full automation of elections in two provinces and two urban cities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao chosen by the COMELEC, had an appropriation of P2.6-billion in 2007.

Too much or too little?

Concerns were also aired over whether the P11.2-billion supplementary budget was too much or too little, given the prior history of alleged cheating scandals in the nation's polls.

Rep. Biazon said the COMELEC proposed the figure, saying it was the minimum that they could use to fully automate the 2010 elections.

"It appears to be a valid figure. We have to rely on them because they're the ones who will be using the system. We just have to trust them that this is sufficient. Whether or not somebody will make money out of it, we'll find out after the transactions have been made. But so far, based on their presentation it seems to be just the right amount of money [the COMELEC] needs to implement it at a minimum scale," he said.

Angara, meanwhile, said that the figure was not "exorbitant or overpriced“ and inisisted that what matters is that the COMELEC's procurement and bidding will be as transparent as possible. -- with reports from MARICAR BAUTISTA, ABS-CBN News; ANC