CCM continues to be vigilant in demanding good governance from elected officials regardless of personalities.
CCM is gravely concerned about the way the Aquino government is handling the crisis involving Filipinos in Lahad Datu, Sabah. Following is CCM’s statement:
“Let’s not even talk of the Philippine title to Sabah which the P-Noy administration is apparently still studying. Let’s just talk about basic obligations, and not just privileges of states.
In the 10-hour oral arguments at the Supreme Court last Wednesday on the motion of the Concerned Citizens Movement to stop the Smartmatic-Total Information Management agreement with the Commission on Election for the automation of the 2010 elections, counsel Harry Roque anchored his argument on the provision of the Republic Act 8436 which requires pilot testing of the system before it is implemented.
RA 8436 authorized the Comelec “to use an automated election system or systems in the same election in different provinces, whether paper-based or a direct recording electronic election system as it may deem appropriate and practical for the process of voting, counting of votes and canvassing/consolidation and transmittal of results of electoral exercises:
“Provided, that for the regular national and local election, which shall be held immediately after effectivity of this Act, the AES shall be used in at least two highly urbanized cities and two provinces each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, to be chosen by the Commission: Provided, further, x x x. In succeeding regular national or local elections, the AES shall be implemented nationwide.”
Last Monday , Yvonne Chua of VERA Files came out with a report about the gross lopsidedness of the Smartmatic-Total Information Management contract with the Commission on Elections for computerized elections next year.
VERA Files said Smartmatic-TIM will get close to P3 billion, or 40 percent of the contract amount of the P7.2 billion even before it delivers all the 82,200 counting machines to be used in the elections.
Bloggers in my site further dissected the contract which was posted by VERA Files in its site (www.verafiles.org). Their discoveries are startling.
Gusto ko talaga na magiging automated o computerized na ang eleksyon sa 2010 para mabawasan ang dayaan.
Sa bilangan kasi ang malakihang dayaan. Kaya kapag hindi manual (yung tao ang magbibilang), naniniwala ako na mababawasan ang dayaan.
Dapat masaya tayo na naayos kontrata ng Smartmatic-TIM at Comelec at tuloy-tuloy na ang computerized election. Kaya lang, mukhang maraming nakatagong mga hindi kanais-nais itong kontrata na ngayon lang lumalabas.Kapag kwestyunable ang kumpanya, medyo nakakatakot sa laki at napaka-importante ng kontratang ito.