Poll bets invited to Comelec tour

from Malaya
http://www.malaya.com.ph/03082010/metro5.html

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday urged presidential and vice presidential candidates to set aside one day from their campaign schedule to see for themselves the poll agency’s preparations for the first-ever nationwide automated elections.

Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal reiterated the invitation to the national candidates to join them on Thursday in visiting the National Printing Office (NPO) and the warehouse in Cabuyao, Laguna where official ballots are being printed and the counting machines are being kept, respectively.

"We hope that the presidential candidates will take one day out of their hectic and busy schedules. They have been going around the country for sometime already. Just set aside one day for them to just see the facilities at the NPO and the Cabuyao warehouse," he said.

Larrazabal stressed that the visit, which is an initiative of the Comelec, is in response to constant calls for transparency in governance. Several presidential candidates expressed concerns last month over possible glitches in the conduct of the first nationwide automated elections.

"All they do is complain… People say they want to be transparent. They want to have a government of transparency and we are doing this to be transparent," he said.

Larrazabal said only vice presidential candidates Jay Sonza of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan and Dominador Chipeco of Ang Kapatiran have confirmed their attendance since the invitations were sent out to all candidates for the top two posts last week. He said the other candidates have until Wednesday to confirm if they will join the tour.

The warehouse in Laguna is where the more 82,200 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines which will be used in the elections are being kept.

The NPO is currently printing the more than 50 million official ballots for the national and local elections. – Gerard M. Naval