The Commission on Elections expressed confidence yesterday that the conduct of the random manual audit of the midterm elections will be successful even with the replacement of poll watchdog National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections as its citizen’s arm.
Comelec Commissioner Luie Tito Guia said all is well between the two parties even after the Namfrel declined the accreditation from the Comelec to be its official partner for the conduct of the RMA.
“In fact some of the things that we are doing are recommendations from Namfrel. I asked them even if you are not with us anymore, if we can still use the improvements that you suggested, then okay,” Guia told reporters at the National Board of Canvassers headquarters at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Poll watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections replaced Namfrel as the main convenor of the RMA.
Asked if there are preparations that might no longer be implemented now that they have a new partner for RMA, Guia confidently said: “Wala. Lahat magagawa.”
According to the Comelec, random manual audit is a process of examination “to determine whether the automated count of the Vote Counting Machines under an Automated Election System is accurate based on a manual verification of said count.” (Martin Sadongdong)
