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Updates |
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NAMFREL Election Day report on the Special Election in
the 1st District of Ilocos Sur
May 28, 2011
The special congressional election in the
1st District of Ilocos Sur for the position vacated by
Rep. Ronald Singson has been peaceful, with no reports
of violence or any untoward incident.
continued >>> |
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Comelec considering
manual elections for ARMM |
May 28, 2011
As there is no certainty yet whether the ARMM election
would be held as scheduled in August, Comelec Chairman
Sixto Brillantes, Jr. said that they are now considering
having a manual election for ARMM, if the final decision
regarding its postponement comes not until June.
Brillantes said the Comelec wants to automate the ARMM
elections but it would be “taking a very high risk” if
it would proceed, given the uncertainty of whether or
not the elections would push through. “We do not want a
very tight timeline because it may only lead to problems
or failure of the automation. We do not want to take
that risk also,” Brillantes said.
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May 2010 automation
"made a mockery of our right of suffrage" |
May 28, 2011
Tanggulang Demokrasya (TanDem), a multisectoral
coalition of civil society leaders, organizations and institutions,
was launched on May 26 in a press conference.The group also rejected
the further use of Smartmatic's PCOS machines in future Philippine
elections. In a statement, the group said that the May 2010
elections ushered in a "mechanism for fraud," which "betrayed the
electorate" and "made a mockery of (Filipinos') right of suffrage."
continued >>> |
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When positions
are won without getting elected |
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After the Commission on Elections’
(Comelec) decision on the protest regarding the mayoral race in
Lucena City – in which the vice mayor is being installed by the
Comelec as mayor (a position he did not run for) – it is now the
turn of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) to
act on a similar protest case filed against the representative of
the 4th district of Leyte.
continued >>> |
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ARMM election still
uncertain |
May 23, 2011
With less than three months to go, the holding of the
scheduled election in the ARMM on August 8 is still
uncertain. The senate is still in the process of holding
consultations on whether it should be postponed or not,
before the matter is presented to the bi-cam for
deliberation. he lower House has earlier approved the
bill postponing the election, and to have it
synchronized with the May 2013 national and local
elections.
continued >>> |
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Angeles City
Election Protest |
May 23, 2011
Within ten days after the May 10, 2010 elections, former
Angeles City Mayor Francis Nepomuceno filed an electoral
protest against Edgardo Pamintuan, who had just won the
election with a final count of 60,5632 votes against
Nepomuceno's 34,105 votes. In his protest, Nepomuceno
alleged that Pamintuan's camp placed identifying marks
and other unnecessary words and expressions in the
ballots that caused the PCOS machines to count the votes
in Pamintuan's favor. Nepomuceno also reportedly alleged
that the machines were preprogrammed to count votes for
Pamintuan.
continued >>> |
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Filipino IT
community to hold conference on automated election |
May 23, 2011
The Automated Election System Watch (AES Watch) will be
holding the first-ever nationwide conference on
automated elections, on June 13, 2011 at the GT-Toyota
Asian Cultural Center in UP Diliman. Entitled FILIPINO
IT for Election (FIT4E), preparations are being
spearheaded by conveners engaged in IT, science and
technology, citizen's participation, and policy study
and research..
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Comelec wants to
automate ARMM elections using PCOS |
May 16, 2011
The Comelec en banc has reportedly decided to adopt the
PCOS machine and the OMR technology to automate the ARMM
elections. The polls tentatively scheduled for August,
would involve only a small number of candidates vying
for governor, vice-governor, and assemblyman posts in
the five province of the autonomous region. The en banc
supposedly voted 6-1 in favor of the automation using
the PCOS, with only Commissioner Augusto Lagman
maintaining that the ARMM elections should be automated
using another technology. The Comelec has not publicly
released any resolution on this matter.
continued >>> |
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State subsidy for
Philippine political parties? |
May 16, 2011
There is a pending bill in Congress on political party
strengthening that is up for approval just before
Congress goes on recess in June. Introduced by Rep.
Rufus Rodriguez, et al, the proposed bill (a substitute
bill to HB nos. 49 and 403), seeks to introduce reforms
in party membership, platform, and vision. It emphasizes
the importance of membership contributions in the
operations of a party, and to allow only the dues-paying
members to elect the party's candidates for elections.
The substitute bill also seeks to limit campaign
contributions to only P1million for natural persons, and
P10million for juridical entities. It also seeks to
prevent party members to switch parties sixty days prior
to election day.
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People's initiative vote held in Quezon City |
May 16, 2011
A pioneering political exercise was held on May 14, 2011
at the Pura V. Kalaw Elementary School in Project 4
Quezon City last Saturday, May 14, 2011. This is a
precedent-setting process of ratifying a village
regulation petitioned under the system of people's
initiative.
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Lucena City Election
Protest |
May 16, 2011
One of the election protest cases brought to the Comelec
was for the mayoral race in Lucena City, Quezon.
Constituents were reported to have been appealing for
the poll body to decide on the legality of the
administration of former mayor Ramon Talaga’s wife,
Mayor Barbara Talaga. After she was proclaimed winner of
the May 2010 polls, her rival candidate Philip Castillo
and Vice Mayor Roderick Alcala claimed that the
proclamation of Mayor Talaga was invalid due to
irregularities.
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Election watchdogs call for rejection of Smartmatic's
PCOS machines |
May 9, 2011
The Automated Election System (AES) Watch strongly urged
not to re-use the Smartmatic -TIM provided PCOS
technology in the forthcoming Autonomous Region for
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and in future elections because
of the technology’s non-compliance with legal
requirements, lack of safeguards, unresolved issues and
technological difficulties it had brought in and after
the May 10, 2010 national and local elections. The
AESWatch, of which Namfrel is a member, is composed of
40 non-partisan and independent election monitoring and
civil society organizations and the academe.
continued >>> |
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SC
nixes group’s petition to cite Comelec in contempt |
May 9, 2011
The Supreme Court has affirmed the right of the Comelec
to impose security measures in allowing third-party
groups to conduct an independent review of the source
code used in the automation election system (AES)
provided by Smartmatic-Total Information Management
Corp. during the country’s first-ever nationwide
computerized balloting in 2010.
continued
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Update on COMELEC
manual reviews |
May 9, 2011
After the first automated elections in May 2010, the
Commission on Elections has received election protest
cases filed since last year and towards the end of March
this year, and has started to conduct manual reviews of
the ballots from precincts that were predetermined by
protesting candidates. Revision committees were formed
to physically review and appreciate the ballots
presented for the recount. These committees were headed
by Comelec lawyers, and participated in by lawyers and
watchers representing the parties concerned. Following
are some cases that Comelec has acted on and their
status as of last week.
continued
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Comelec resumes
voter registration |
May 3, 2011
Registration of voters for the midterm
elections in 2013 starts May 2, 2011 and ends on Oct. 31, 2012.
Qualified to enroll is any Filipino citizen, who is at least 18
years of age, a resident of the Philippines for at least one year,
and in the place where he intends to vote, for at least six months
immediately preceding the election. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez
said they would use biometrics technology or having an automated
photograph, fingerprints and signature-taking system.
continued
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ARMM elections still in limbo despite preparations |
by Eric Jude O. Alvia,
NAMFREL Secretary General
May 3, 2011
Recent developments in past weeks have bolstered the
likelihood of the ARMM elections being held as scheduled on August
8, 2011. The first, being the momentary slowdown of legislative
action to pass a law to postpone and synchronize the ARMM elections;
the second, is the preparations being made by the Comelec to conduct
the ARMM elections even as there has been an impasse in the Senate
on the decision to hold the regional polls as scheduled as House
Bill (HB) no. HB 4146 and Senate Bill (SB) no. 2756 face stiff
opposition in the Senate; the third, is the petition filed in the
Supreme Court (SC) seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) on
initiatives seeking the postponement of the regional polls.
continued >>> |
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Special polls in
Ilocos Sur set
May 3, 2011
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has set the
special elections in the 1st District of Ilocos Sur to
take place on May 28, 2011, after former Rep. Ronald
Singson was convicted of prohibited drug possession in
Hong Kong and started serving his sentence of 18 months
imprisonment. COMELEC promulgated Resolution no. 9169 on
April 01, 2011, setting the Calendar of Activities and
certain Prohibited Acts for the Special Election. April
28, 2011 marked the start of the election period until
June 07, 2011, and from May 09 to 13, candidates may
file their COCs.
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Augusto Lagman is new
Comelec Commissioner
May 3, 2011
President Aquino appointed veteran IT expert Augusto C.
Lagman as the sixth Comelec commissioner. The
appointment was announced by deputy presidential
spokesperson Abigail Valte in Malacañang on April 27.
"He is a known expert in the field of IT and he has been
very involved in the automated elections.
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NAMFREL Statement on
the appointment of Augusto Lagman as Comelec
Commissioner
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27 April 2011
Press Statement
NAMFREL welcomes the appointment of veteran IT expert
Augusto C. Lagman as Commissioner of the Commission on
Elections. Mr. Lagman has been a tireless advocate of
clean and honest elections, as well as transparency in
procurement and governance.
continued >>> |
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HRET conducts
Biliran recount proceedings
May 3, 2011
The House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal started
on April 27 the recount proceedings for the
congressional race in the lone district of Biliran (it
finished the following day). In the May 2010 election,
former governor Roger Espina won by only 360 votes over
his opponent, former Rep. Glenn Chong.
continued >>> |
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HRET denies NAMFREL request to observe Biliran recount
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On April 27, 2011, the
Tribunal received a Letter from Eric Jude O. Alvia,
Secretary General of the National Citizens' Movement for
Free Elections (Namfrel), stating that they have learned
that the Tribunal will be conducting on April 27, 2011
the manual process of recounting the contested ballots
for the mayoralty position involved in the instant case,
and thus, would be requesting that their representatives
be allowed to observe and document the Tribunal's
conduct of the recount for the purpose assisting the
Tribunal in ensuring that the process will be
transparent, credible and acceptable to the parties
concerned.
continued >>> |
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CAC report recommends
not to purchase Smartmatic's AES
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by Eric Jude O. Alvia,
NAMFREL Secretary General
April 15, 2011
Last week, AESWatch
members were provided a copy by the
Joint Congressional Oversight
Committee on Electoral Reform & the
AES (JCOC) of a previously
inaccessible Comelec Advisory
Council (CAC) post-election report
on the Use of the Automated Election
System (AES) in the 2010 National
and Local Elections.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL holds
training on government procurement monitoring |
April 15, 2011
As part of its involvement in
advocating good governance, NAMFREL
facilitated a training on GPRA 9184,
or the Procurement Law, on April
8-9, 2011 at the New Horizon Hotel,
Mandaluyong City.
continued >>> |
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New Comelec commissioner
appointed |
April 5, 2011
President Aquino has
appointed Atty. Christian Robert Lim
as new Comelec commissioner, taking
the post left by Gregorio Larrazabal
who retired from the election
commission in February.
continued >>> |
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Commissioner Brillantes
reappointed as Comelec Chairperson
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by Eric Jude O. Alvia,
NAMFREL Secretary General
April 5, 2011
President Aquino has
reappointed Comelec Chairperson
Sixto Brillantes after Congress went
on recess on March 25. The ad
interim appointment of Brillantes,
who was named on Jan. 15, 2011 in an
acting capacity while Congress was
in recess and the Committee on
continued >>> |
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Volunteerism in the
Philippines
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April 5, 2011
In celebration of the
10th anniversary of the
International Year of Volunteers,
the Volunteer Service Organization
(VSO-Bahaginan) held its first
Volunteering Expo on March 29, 2011,
which showcased best practices and
successful programs that shaped the
volunteer sector in the country.
continued >>> |
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Bill postponing ARMM election
approved by House; faces opposition
in the Senate |
March 28, 2011
Just before it went into
recess this week, the House of
Representatives on March 22 approved
on third reading House Bill no.
4146, postponing the election in the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM)
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL engages the
DepEd, DILG & the DOH for the 2012 National Budget
Preparation consultations
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by Eric Jude O. Alvia,
NAMFREL Secretary General March 28,
2011
The fresh mandate of the
Aquino government presents
opportunities for civil society
organizations (CSO) and citizens
groups to set its social
accountability agenda and help
revitalize the advocacy for good
governance
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Medicine monitoring
update |
by Edgar E. Camenting,
NAMFREL Project Coordinator March
28, 2011
Under the implementation
of NAMFREL and the Department of
Health's (DOH) Medicine Monitoring
Project 2, NAMFREL monitored a total
of Php 1.3 billion pesos worth of
the Approved Budget for the Contract
(ABC)
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ANFREL calls for end to
harassment of Bangladesh human rights organization
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March 28, 2011
In a letter to the UN
Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights, the Asian Network for
Free Elections (ANFREL) calls
attention to the harassment of
members of Odhikar – an organization
in Bangladesh composed of
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Filipino I.T. community
pickets Comelec against Smartmatic PCOS machines
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March 19, 2011
Leaders of the Filipino
I.T. community, comprising the
AESWatch (Automated Election System
Watch) Coalition, picketed in front
of the Comelec headquarters in
Intramuros, Manila on March 17, to
protest the Comelec's
continued >>> |
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COMELEC Advisory Council's Post-Election Report on the
Use of the Automated Election System (AES) in the 2010
National and Local Elections |
Executive Summary
The automation of the May 2010 national and local
elections was a very significant event that changed the
face of Philippine politics. It was an incredibly
ambitious project for the Commission on Elections
(COMELEC), which had a small information technology (IT)
department and did not even have a high level chief
information officer (CIO). With over 50 million
registered voters, 76,347 clustered precincts, and
eleven simultaneous election races with up to 300
candidates per ballot, the Philippines did not seem to
be ideal candidate for automation elections.
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Letter to President Aquino regarding Civil Society
Organization's nominations to the COMELEC posts
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January 5, 2011
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HIS EXCELLENCY BENIGNO
SIMEON AQUINO III
President
Republic of the Philippines
Manila
Dear President Aquino,
Greetings of Peace!
The vacancies in February this year in the chairmanship
and for two commissioners represent a timely opportunity
to rebuild the Commission on Elections. Committed
towards helping in the realization of this worthy
legacy, we, the undersigned, and the organizations 1 we
represent, would like to suggest that, given the wide
public interest in the future of the Comelec and of
automation, an open and transparent selection and
appointment process be conducted with full disclosure of
the criteria, nominator(s) and credentials of the
nominees.
In this regard, we have taken the liberty of conducting
a search process and are providing for the President's
consideration a shortlist of names of men and women that
we believe exceptionally fit the criteria of
independence, competence and integrity - qualities that
all Comelec commissioners should possess.
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NAMFREL statement on the first anniversary of the
Ampatuan massacre
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November 22, 2010
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NAMFREL joins the
victims' families, the Filipino nation as well as human
rights and press freedom advocates throughout the world
in calling for the swift resolution of the Ampatuan,
Maguindanao murders. Twelve months after the most
inhumane election related killings in recent memory, the
58 victims, their families and supporters, have yet to
receive justice that Philippine laws supposedly assure.
Instead, what we see are delays in the trial; inability
to swiftly round up all suspects, both those directly
linked to the massacre and their accomplices; the
continuous rule of warlords and their kin in their
respective areas; the continuous display of wealth and
power as their people languish in poverty; the continued
silencing of journalists; private armies not just in
Mindanao but throughout the country not yet dismantled;
the climate of fear that has not subsided; and the
culture of impunity that sees no end.
continued >>>
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Mongolian
Electoral Observers Seminar and Study Tour in PHL |
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November 6, 2010
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On November 8 to 11,
2010 a delegation from Mongolia will visit the
Philippines for an Electoral Seminar and Study Tour to
be conducted by NAMFREL with the support of the Open
Society Forum. The aim of the study tour is to provide
opportunities for Mongolia’s key stakeholders to learn
from the Philippines
experience in ensuring the integrity of democratic
elections and electoral process.
continued >>>
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The Voters
Education Program
Barangay Voters’ Education Program
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September 24, 2010 |
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The Center for Empowerment of Communities
(CEC) of Quezon City District 2 invited Namfrel through Atty. Moses
Florendo (Namfrel District 2 Chairman) to conduct a 2-day Voters
Education Program (VEP) in two barangays; Novaliches proper and
North Fairview in Quezon City last September 4 and 5. The CEC is a
non- stock, non-profit, non-government organization, which aims to
promote and strengthen people empowerment through the active
participation of marginalized individuals and communities in
institutions and processes which directly affect them.
continued >>> |
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Afghanistan Parliamentary Elections (Wolesi Jirga) 2010
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ANFREL STATEMENT
No. 1 |
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September 9, 2010
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Following the assessment
mission in mid-July to Afghanistan for the deployment of
international observers, the Asian Network for Free
Elections (ANFREL) is deploying 22 observers to
undertake observation functions, research work and
capacity building training for citizen observer groups
in the country. The 22 observers will be in Central,
North and North-East regions of Afghanistan until the
end of September, 2010.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL Signs Grant Agreement with the Partnership for
Transparency Fund
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September 6, 2010
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Manila, Philippines (NAMFREL) September 6,
2010
On September 6, the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections
(NAMFREL) signed a grant agreement with the Partnership for
Transparency Fund (PTF) for the second phase of a project aimed at
monitoring the procurement, delivery and stocking of essential drugs
and medicines. The project, entitled Medicine Monitoring II, will
build on the experience gained through the first project phase in
reducing corruption in a vital area of public service. NAMFREL will
continue to work with the Department of Health and deploy volunteers
at critical stages in the cycle from procurement to management of
stocks of drugs and medicines.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL participates in international
videoconference on automated elections
The National Citizens' Movement
for Free Elections participated today (June 30,
2010) in a videoconference on "Observing
Electronic Voting Technologies: Methodology and
Its Challenges," organized by the National
Democratic Institute (NDI). The videoconference
was participated in by about 40 Indonesian civil
society organizations, with resource persons in
Jakarta, Washington, D.C., and Manila.
continued >>>
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ASIAN
Election Monitoring Organizations question unfair
practices in the Burma Electoral process
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August 31, 2010
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In barely two months
time elections will be held in Burma generating
significant attention worldwide. The Union Election
Commission (UEC) has announced on 13th August that the
“multiparty elections in Burma will be held on November
7, 2010.” There have been a number of developments in
the days preceding the announcement of the Election
date, which deserves serious attention from all
democracy supporting citizens of the world.
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DOH and NAMFREL renew commitment to transparency
through the Medicine Monitoring Project
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August 9, 2010
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The Department of
Health, through Honorable Secretary Enrique T.
Ona, and NAMFREL, through its National
Chairperson Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., signed today,
August 9, 2010, a Memorandum of Agreement
renewing their collaboration on the Medicine
Monitoring Project (MMP). This is in line with
the DOH's commitment to directly engage civil
society organizations in upholding transparency
in the procurement, delivery, and inventory of
pharmaceutical products, supplies, equipment and
infrastructure projects of the Department.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL Executive Summary
Terminal Report
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July 2, 2010
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Overview
Nothwithstanding the results of the May 2010 elections
with respect to the National Elections, NAMFREL believes
that the automated election system employed by the
Commission on Elections and provided by Smartmatic is in
serious need of review and remedial measures before it
is to be used for future elections. While the system
counted ballots with considerable speed, it nonetheless
lacked sufficient methods for tracing and auditing the
entire processes which would have been necessary had any
problems arisen which were material to the results of
the counting or the canvassing. As it is, while national
results were believed to be credible, in part because
they matched both pre-election surveys and exit polls,
not all of the local electoral results could be relied
upon to the same extent.
continued >>> |
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Speech of Mr. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., NAMFREL National
Chairperson
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NAMFREL
Appreciation Dinner, June 18, 2010
Ayala Museum,
Makati City
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Distinguished partners,
members of the National Council, chapter chairmen,
friends in media, a
warm welcome to you. Good evening and welcome to all of
our NAMFREL volunteers, supporters, donors
and staff.
It is a wonderful time of optimism for the Philippines.
The elections have given rise to a growing
sense of enthusiasm about the impending change in
administration and the hopes for a new generation
of governance in the country. And while the inauguration
is still some days away, people cannot seem to
contain the excitement over this historic event and the
promise of what lies ahead for us.
continued >>> |
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Input to the House of Representatives' Committee on
Suffrage and Electoral Reforms chaired by the Honorable
Teodoro Locsin, Jr. on the hearings on the Automated
Election System (AES) used on May 10, 2010
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May 28,
2010
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Mr. Chairman and Members of
the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms,
thank you for allowing NAMFREL to contribute to the
post-election discussion on the Automated Election
System.
At the outset, let me say for the record that NAMFREL
has supported calls for the automation of the counting
and canvassing of the elections dating back to the
Comelec's original MODEX Program in 1993 introduced by
then-Chairman Christian Monsod. It was as that time that
different technologies for counting and canvassing votes
were first introduced. The legislation for that program
was filed in Congress shortly after and the resulting
Republic Act 8436 was passed in December 1997.
continued >>> |
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Statement on 2010 Elections
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The 2010 Elections was a
celebration of democracy by our people. The National
Citizens' Movement for Free Elections commends all those
who played a role in the administration and conduct of
the May 10, 2010 elections, most especially the teachers
who served as Boards of Election Inspectors and the
voters who endured difficulties and inconveniences but
nonetheless accepted the new automated system. The most
dramatic improvement in the elections was in the
counting and tabulating of votes, which occurred at
unprecedented speeds for Philippine elections. Early
tabulations were available within hours of the polls'
closing and significant numbers were reported by
midnight of election day.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL Urges COMELEC to Finish Count
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May 19, 2010
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The National Citizens'
Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) expresses its
concern over the slowdown of the vote count and urges
the COMELEC to complete the count. The count has been at
a virtual standstill at slightly over 90% of the
Election Returns tabulated by COMELEC and PPCRV servers,
up marginally from 89% last Wednesday, May 12. The
remaining Election Returns represent 7,500 PCOS machines
and an estimated 4.9 million votes. The 7,500 PCOS
machines have not transmitted results or have bogged
down in its operations.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL Observations on the May 10, 2010 Elections
May 14, 2010
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The 2010 Elections was a
celebration of democracy by our people. By their
patience and exuberance in a new process, and by the
doggedness and resourcefulness of the teachers and the
commitment of the COMELEC to make it work, elections did
work. The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections
commends all those who played a role in the
administration an conduct of the May 10, 2010 elections,
most especially the teachers who served as Boards of
Election Inspectors and the voters who endured
difficulties and inconveniences but nonetheless accepted
and the new automated system. On the whole, the new
process of voting in an automated election system worked
better than most people's expectations.
continued >>> |
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Ensuring Fair Elections on May 10
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The National Citizens'
Movement for Free Elections believes that national
elections must be held on May 10, 2010 under an
automated election system that contains the proper
safeguards and is backed up by sufficient manual systems
which can be used where there are instances of a
breakdown or failure of the automated system. When we go
the polls on May 10th to elect our new leaders who will
assume office on July 1 to lead our Nation forward, we
expect nothing less than clean, honest, fair, and
credible elections. Our future depends on it.
continued >>> |
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Join NAMFREL BILANG NG BAYAN and help verify the results |
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If there is no parallel manual count, who will
shine a light upon the results of the elections?
Join NAMFREL BILANG NG BAYAN and help verify the
results. Elections are less than a week away and
Comelec has ruled out a parallel manual count
which allows voters to check if the PCOS
machines are counting correctly. But Comelec
will be posting the results of the voting at the
precinct level after voting ends, and these
returns will be transmitted to canvassing
centers. These results will be updated on the
Comelec website periodically, but there will be
no other tally to confirm these numbers.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL to conduct BILANG NG BAYAN
May 5, 2010
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The National Citizens'
Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) announced today
that it will be conducting its independent Bilang ng
Bayan operations for the May 10 election results. The
Bilang ng Bayan will be based on copies of the Election
Returns which will be printed by the COMELEC's PCOS
machines. Each PCOS machine will be printing 30 copies
of the Election Returns at each voting precinct. The
first eight copies of the Election Returns will be
distributed to various COMELEC Boards of Canvassers,
political parties, and accredited citizens arm. The rest
of the copies will be made available to the public as
well as to local political parties and local or regional
media organizations.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL: All PCOS Machines Must Be Re-tested and
Certified Error-free
May 5, 2010
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In light of numerous problems
which arose when PCOS machines were tested at voting
centers and Smartmatic's subsequent recall of the
compact flash (CF) memory cards for all PCOS machines,
the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections
(NAMFREL) re-emphasizes the need for stronger validation
measures of the accuracy of the PCOS machines through
more rigorous testing of the newly-configured CF cards,
an expanded Random Manual Audit (RMA), and a parallel
manual run.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL warns that public will not know how PCOS
machines count their votes
April 28, 2010
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The National Citizens'
Movement for Free Elections stated today that voters
will not know for sure if the PCOS machines used in the
COMELEC's Automated Election System will count their
votes correctly because the machines will not issue a
receipt indicating a person's vote nor display on the
machines' screen how that voter voted. All the machine
will indicate is a "congratulatory" message to the voter
that his or her ballot has been accepted by the machine.
The PCOS machines will not be indicating if any of a
person's votes are valid or not.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL: Abra Remains a Hot Spot
April 28, 2010
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NAMFREL keeps track of
violence-prone areas in every election that it observes
since 1983. It studies their causes or what triggers the
violence in each election. Too often these provinces
remain the same problem areas in every election. There
are a number of factors that cause election-related
violence. "Political-dynasties" are a fact of Philippine
political life. Elections particularly the local
elections become the battleground for long standing and
too often bitter rivalries among feuding families. The
campaign heats up to such intensity that violence is
committed by the followers of the competing families.
continued >>> |
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COMELEC should disclose AES spending to the public
April 22, 2010
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The National Citizens Movement
for Free Elections (NAMFREL) calls on the COMELEC to
exercise transparency and accountability by fully
disclosing the funds it has thus far spent for the 2010
elections. The budget for the 2010 elections has been
set at at least P16.5 billion - P11.3 billion for the
Automated Election System (under RA 9525 "An Act
Appropriating the Sum of P11,301,790,000.00 As
Supplemental Appropriations for an Automated Election
System and Other Expenses" signed into law on March 23,
2009) plus the P5.21 billion appropriation for the
"Automated National and Local Elections" under RA 9970,
The General Appropriations Act of 2010.
continued >>> |
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COMELEC urged to hold Random Manual Audit to ensure
fairness of 2010 elections
April 22, 2010
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NAMFREL maintains that a
parallel random manual audit (RMA) of election returns
is necessary to establish the credibility and
transparency of the 2010 elections. As such, the
electoral watchdog group urges the Commission on
Elections (COMELEC) to take all necessary steps to
ensure that the RMA is implemented, including the
preparation of General Instructions (GI) for the conduct
of such audit.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL supports call of I.T. professionals for parallel
run
April 22, 2010
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The National Citizens Movement
for Free Elections (NAMFREL) supports calls by
Philippine information technology professionals for a
manual parallel run of all ballots, counting only three
positions of President, Vice President, and one local
government official (e.g., Mayor), as a means of
cross-checking and validating the accuracy of the PCOS
machines. This parallel run is not meant to replace the
Automated Election System and the PCOS machines but
rather to crosscheck that automated and manual counts
are the same.
continued >>> |
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Number of registered voters increased by 12.7% from last
election;
in ARMM 42%
April 6, 2010
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The National Citizens Movement
for Free Elections (NAMFREL) reported today that the
number of registered voters reported by the Commission
on Elections (COMELEC) increased by 12.65% from the
45.03 million registered in the 2007 elections to the
50.74 million registered for the May 2010 elections.
There were 43.44 million voters registered in the 2004
elections, giving the 2007 elections a 3.43% increase
over 2004.
continued >>> |
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Many safeguard provisions of election automation law
are disabled or delayed
April 6, 2010
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The National Citizens Movement
for Free Elections or NAMFREL has once again expressed
its concern over the disablement or delay of certain
safeguard provisions which were originally written into
the election automation law.
continued >>> |
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The CVL is one of the weak links in the 2010 elections
April 6, 2010
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The reliability of voters'
lists is a persistent problem in past elections. NAMFREL
has long advocated the need for a clean, accurate
complete, and current Certified Voters List, (CVL)
because a reliable CVL is the "guardian" of the "one
person, one vote" election principle. A clean CVL has no
duplicate names or multiple registrants or ineligible
persons on the list such as minors and deceased persons.
NAMFREL has also advocated that such a list should be
made public and accessible to all voters and interested
parties.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL advises voters to look for names on certified
voters' lists and to locate their precincts
April 6, 2010
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With just a little over 30
days left before elections on May 10, NAMFREL Chairman
Jose L. Cuisia advises all voters to check their names
in the COMELEC's Certified Voters Lists (CVL) to get
beforehand the exact location of their voting precincts.
continued >>> |
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Bantay ng Bayan: You are needed now more than ever
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Bantay ng Bayan. This has always been the
mission of NAMFREL. Even without COMELEC
accreditation, this continues to be our mission
for the May 10 elections.
continued >>> |
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How sure are you that your vote will be counted
in the automated count?
March 25, 2010 |
46 days before Election Day
How sure are you that your vote will be counted in the
automated count? With the automation of the May 2010
elections, the days of the yellow metal ballot boxes
that used to be protected by concerned citizens are
history.
continued >>> |
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An election we can believe in
18 March 2010
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We admire the COMELEC for its courage and determination
in anticipating total success of the automated elections
in May 2010. Indications however show that it is
dangerous and reckless for the COMELEC to assume it can
achieve 100% automated elections throughout the country,
because many factors impinge on the automation process:
eg power, telecommunications, transportation,
reliability of outsourced or contracted services, etc.
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL expresses concern with country’s readiness
for automated elections
March 12, 2010
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With less than 60 days to go before more than 50 million
Filipinos go to the polls the National
Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) has
expressed growing concerns about the
country’s preparedness for its first ever automated
elections.
It also questions whether or not the Commission on
Elections (Comelec) will meet its deadline to
ensure the success of the elections.
continued >>> |
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The Bantay ng Bayan Role of NAMFREL and CBCP-NASSA
in the May 2010 Elections |
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Rendering of regular report to the people of
observations, findings, and
recommendations on critical aspects of the
election process as well as on the
performance of its key players; there shall be
pre-election, election day, and
postelection reports |
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Returns to the original role it performed in
1983 when it was first engaged in the
Philippine election process
continued >>> |
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NAMFREL Statement
February 18, 2010
Good morning ladies and gentlemen, allow me first to
express my appreciation for your continued faith and
support for the cause of free, fair, and credible
elections through NAMFREL.
You may have read the NAMFREL statement published in the
Philippine Daily Inquirer on February 10 and in the
Philippine Star on February 11.
As we said in the statement, NAMFREL volunteers affirm
its role and importance to be a real CITIZENS' watchdog.
Our contributions to the conduct of free, fair, and
credible elections, in the Philippines as well as many
parts of the world, have earned us respect from past
administrations, and trust from the people. Whether the
Melo Comelec accredits us or not, the NAMFREL spirit is
alive in all of us, and Filipinos expect us to play a
significant role in ensuring that the May 2010 elections
will be free fair, and
credible. continued
>>>
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You Cannot Kill the Namfrel Spirit
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You can deny us, but you can't make us go away.
For as long as the people seek truly free and
fair elections, the light of NAMFREL shall burn
brightly.
Last week, the COMELEC unanimously decided to
deny NAMFREL, in partnership with the
CBCP-NASSA, accreditation for the May 10, 2010
elections. This means that NAMFREL/CBCP-NASSA
will not be entitled to its own copy of the
election returns normally used for a parallel
count, nor will it be able to officially observe
the random manual precinct audit to validate the
electronic results.
The May 10 elections will be the first automated
polls in the country's history. But up to now,
the capabilities of the new system have not been
fully established. People are understandably
nervous that many things could go wrong or that
it would simply facilitate wholesale cheating.
continued >>> |
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Namfrel's Position Paper on Early Voting
January 25,
2010 |
Position paper on Senate Bill
No. 2972
authored by Senator Richard Gordon
“An Act Allowing Early Voting in National Elections,
Amending for this Purpose Batas Pambansa Blg. 881,
Otherwise Known as the Omnibus Election Code of the
Philippines”
by the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections
(Namfrel)
25 January 2010
continued >>> |
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Namfrel CBCP-NASSA Petition for Accreditation
December
16, 2009 |
IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION
FOR ACCREDITATION AS CITIZENS’ ARM OF THE COMELEC TO
ASSIST IN THE CONDUCT OF THE ELECTIONS ON MAY 10, 2010.
NATIONAL CITIZENS’ MOVEMENT FOR FREE ELECTIONS (NAMFREL)
AND CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES
NATIONAL SECRETARIAT FOR SOCIAL ACTION - JUSTICE AND
PEACE (CBCP-NASSA),
continued >>> |
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Namfrel
Briefings
Namfrel at the
University of Sto. Tomas, St.
Scholastica's College, Jose Rizal
University, San Beda College,
Entrepreneurs School of Asia,
Polytechnic University of the
Philippines, La Consolacion College, UP
Los Baños,
La Concordia College and Baliuag
University
continued >>> |
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Namfrel at AKAP-Pinoy Forum
On 28 November 2009,
Ms. Corazon H. Ignacio, head of
NAMFREL’s Project Committee, spoke on
the topic “Making Our Vote Count” at the
National Disability Forum of AKAP Pinoy.
continued
>>> |
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NAMFREL Statement on the spate of recent politically
motivated violence & Maguindanao massacre
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November 25, 2009
The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections
(NAMFREL) strongly condemns the brutal
politically-motivated killings in Maguindanao of
political supporters and journalists.
We call upon President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to take a
firm and decisive action immediately to go after the
perpetrators of this heinous crime, and for the
government to consider this and other recent tragedies
involving elected officials and election staff not mere
election-related violence but criminal acts that need to
be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. continued
>>>
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NAMFREL chair's statement on impartiality
October 13, 2009
“After the proclamation of the
Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of the
different parties such as the Liberal Party and the
Lakas-Kampi, I have decided to remain neutral in the
light of the ongoing discussions on
the Reproductive Health Bill which some of the
candidates continued
>>>
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NAMFREL selects new officers
October 7, 2009
At its meeting of 02 October 2009,
the NAMFREL National Council elected Mr. Jose L. Cuisia,
Jr. as the organization's new National Chairperson.
Former senator Vicente T. Paterno was elected as
National Vice Chairperson.
continued >>>
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NAMFREL prepares for new leadership
September 27, 2009
The National Citizens’ Movement for
Free Elections (NAMFREL) is continuing
its preparations for the 2010 elections notwithstanding
the departure of its present national chairperson.
continued >>>
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NAMFREL upholds policy on non-partisanship
September 26, 2009
At its meeting of 22 September 2009
the NAMFREL National Council considered resignations
individually submitted from four of its members who will
actively support various candidates of their choice in
the 2010 elections. The said members were Ambassador
Narcisa Escaler, and Messrs. Ramon R. del Rosario,
Edward Go, and Alberto Lim.
continued >>>
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This has reference to the news item that "MARCOS URGES
ABOLITION OF NAMFREL" -
August 25, 2009
In said item Ilocos Norte
Representative Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos,
Jr. was quoted as having said: “The country was deeply
divided because of allegations of fraud during the 2004
and 2007 elections and Namfrel has done nothing about
it. I think it’s about time we abolish Namfrel.”
continued>>> |
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