People will look at the composition of the poll body as a gauge how the elections will be conducted. So it is very important that whoever would replace Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas, Commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Antonio Kho, who will retire on February 2 next year will satisfy the criteria of independence.
WITH growing fears of possible interference in the 2022 national elections, watchdog group National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) has forwarded a series of suggestions to ensure the integrity of the poll system.
During an online forum held August 31, Namfrel Secretary Eric Alva said the group wants the appointment of “independent” new members of the Commission on Election (Comelec) en banc ahead of the 2022 elections.
Alvia explained that the appointment of the proper officials will affect the credibility and the conduct and outcome of the next polls.
“People will look at the independence of the commission as a gauge how the elections will be conducted. So it is very important that whoever replaced them will satisfy this criteria of independence,” Alvia said in an online briefing last Tuesday.
Namfrel issued the statement as Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas, as well as Commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Antonio Kho, are set to retire on February 2.
The remaining three Commissioners are Socorro Inting, Marlon Casquejo, and Aimee Ferolino, meaning that majority of the appointees were now chosen by the current administration.
'Numerical listing'
During the forum, Alvia also suggested listing down the candidates in the ballot box by "unique numbers" instead of alphabetically, as has been done in past elections.
Under the proposal, Namfrel said Comelec officials would draw the numbers randomly in the presence of the candidates and parties or their representatives.
Comelec will then announce the assigned numbers before the start of the campaign.
“As the candidates will be using their assigned numbers for the campaign, pre-election campaigning can be minimized as numbers assigned to the candidates can only be released by Comelec just before the start of the campaign period,” Alvia said.
The proposal will also prevent candidates from using aliases beginning with the digit 1 or the letter A “just to be at the top or near the top of the list.”
“This will minimize the importance of name recall and the advantage of having well-known surnames during the campaign,” Alvia pointed out.
Voters who cannot read or those with poor eyesight would then find it easier to search for the numbers instead of the names of their candidates.
Extend voting registration
Namfrel also joined the call for the extension of voters' registration beyond the September 30 deadline set by Comelec.
“Yes (in favor), at least in those areas that went through MECQ and ECQ. Selective extension,” Alvia said, adding that the ongoing lockdowns in Metro Manila and other provinces justify the need for the extension of voter registration.
“It would be ideal if we would extend the voter registration but it's also difficult for Comelec to extend it because on October 1 to 8, the Comelec will start receiving the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) of those who wish to run for the 2022 elections. If you will extend voter registration, where will you hold the voter registration if the Comelec office will be used to receive COC and Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance,” Alvia said.
Although the schedule is tight, Alvia said it would be better to try and hold all pre-election activities.
“We are on a tight schedule right now but I think the reality is we really have to try to fit all the activities within around 30 days left,” Alvia said.
Tags: #2022elections, #Namfrel, #CommissiononElections, #voterregistration