VforCE prays for honest and clean elections

Namfrel QC gathers for final preparations

by Ayee D. Macaraig

WITH TWO days left to prepare for the polls, hundreds of election volunteers gathered on Saturday not to train as usual, but to pray for honest and peaceful elections.

“We are here because we are committed [as volunteers] in doing what we can to make sure that these elections are honest, responsible, and peaceful,” said Jesuit Provincial Fr. Daniel Patrick Huang, SJ, during the mass organized by the Volunteers for Clean Elections (VforCE).

The mass, which invitations said was for “peace, vigilance, and commitment,” was held at the Ateneo High School (AHS) Covered Courts.

Volunteers from various VforCE groups such as the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) attended the mass.

Also present were volunteers from the National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (NASSA), Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB), and the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE).

The mass was intended to collectively “send forth” the VforCE volunteers in their mission of civic engagement for Philippine democracy.

VforCE is a nationwide movement that aims to gather one million volunteers to protect the integrity of the elections, to fight fraud and violence, and to work for long-term change.

“Inspirited volunteers”

Huang said that although there are forces ready to cheat, deceive, and exploit Filipinos in the elections, there is also a spirit that moves against darkness. This, he said, is the Holy Spirit.

“Our volunteers are inspiring, or perhaps better, ‘inspirited’ volunteers, men and women filled with God’s spirit to commit, love, and serve our country,” he said.

“Kailangan tayo ng bayan. Kailangan ng mga taong haharap sa puwersa ng kabuktutan. Kailangan ng mga Pilipinong handang magbantay at maglingkod upang ang demokrasya ay maitaguyod (The nation needs us. The nation needs people to face the force of evil. Filipinos who are ready to guard and serve to pursue democracy are needed),” Huang added.

Huang also said that the candles lit at the end of the mass symbolize light in the darkness, and the flame of love for nation.

“[The peace that Jesus gives] does not mean that things will be well without much effort, dedication, [and] sacrifice from us. Much will be demanded of us in the coming days, indeed, in the coming years as we prepare for 2010,” Huang said.

“Better to light a candle”

Namfrel Quezon City (QC) Chairman Don Rapadas also explained the meaning of the candle-lighting during the Namfrel QC final general assembly (GA), which was held before the VforCE mass.

Rapadas said that people see the May 14 elections as bitter and heavily contested, and is predicted to be marred by massive cheating. “[Yet], instead of complaining, we choose to see what is positive.”

The motto of Namfrel since its creation in 1984 is, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

In the GA, volunteers for both poll-watching and the quick count were reminded of their tasks and the protocols to be followed.

Namfrel QC district chairpersons Angela Ferreria (AB Eu ’05), Leah Andal, Japs Simpas, and Joseph Quesada (AB MEco ’02) gave final reminders. Quesada is the executive director of the Ateneo Alumni Association (AAA).

The chairpersons said that they are still in need of volunteers for poll-watching and the quick count. They will accept volunteers until May 13.

Vice Chair for Tabulation Boyet Dy (AB DS ’06), meanwhile, explained the transmission of election returns from the precincts to the Ateneo, and the tabulation of votes.

Ateneo is the venue for Namfrel QC’s operation quick count.

Love for country

Sr. Annabelle Diaz, OP, mother superior of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Sienna, attended the GA. Every elections, she volunteers for poll-watching in QC District 1.

“We have to safeguard our votes because [they are] the will of the people. If we don’t protect [them], that is against our conscience. And as [Filipinos], we are responsible for our votes,” she said.

Sr. Fe Suberon, OP, who is also a poll-watching volunteer, said that she volunteered because she loves her country and has to protect it.

“We are the [largest] Catholic country in Asia [but we still have a very] negative image. [Even if I have lots of work to do], I will forego it because of my country,” she said.

Zenaida Toicino from the Gawad Kalinga (GK)-Licad community in QC said that she also volunteered for poll-watching in District 2 to help avoid cheating in the elections, and to ensure that the elections will be peaceful.

Young voters praise, criticize Senate bets in debate

by Paterno R. Esmaquel II

THE BUZZ outside Irwin Theater on April 25 was proof enough—more than the senatorial debate there earlier that day—that the youth vote is a thinking vote.

The debate, titled “DB8 2007,” aimed to educate first-time voters as a response to Chief Justice Reynato Puno’s call for the youth to “make a decisive difference on the outcome of the coming elections.”

The senatoriables who attended the debate were Ang Kapatiran’s Martin Bautista, Jesus Paredes, and Adrian Sison, and the Genuine Opposition’s (GO) Alan Cayetano and Sonia Roco. Team Unity (TU) candidates were a no-show.

The event was organized by the Jaycees International Senate, the University of the Philippines Debate Society (UPDS), and the Ateneo Debate Society (ADS).

Knowing candidates

Lilia Seelin, former Jaycees president and one of the organizers, was glad that the young audience had their own opinions on the debate, which touched on issues like globalization and birth control.

The topics even found their way into the students’ conversations after the event.

Leloy Claudio (AB Comm ’07), a former student debater, said that he wanted to react the most to Paredes’s opinion on birth control. Running under a platform of “God-fearing leadership,” Paredes said that Ang Kapatiran is against artificial family planning, and goes for the Church-endorsed natural methods.

Claudio, the valedictorian of his graduating class, said that in a secular context, such a Church view cannot be imposed. “I was pretty upset at the way Kapatiran dealt with family planning, although I have to admit that they’re still a better alternative compared to most of the politicians out there.”

Meanwhile, students from the University of St. Paul praised Cayetano for his take on political dynasties. Cayetano answered a question from Inquirer columnist Rina Jimenez-David, one of the moderators, who noted that two Cayetanos—Alan and his sister, Pia—will be in the Senate if Alan wins.

“There’s a thing about having public service in your blood,” Cayetano said. “The question is whether the public official serves the country or only himself.”

UP education

Roco, a teacher by profession, was asked by UP student debater Maria Theresa Grajo, another moderator, if the State should continue funding tertiary education.

Roco answered, “Subsidies should not stand forever; people should be able to stand on their own.” While noting that UP’s funding is different from that of other state colleges and universities—UP gets a bigger budget, for example—Roco said that the Senate should look more deeply into how UP is being managed.

Addressing the budget problem, Bautista called for the repeal of the Automatic Appropriations Act, which automatically allots a large chunk of the national budget for debt payment.

“We put 1% to health care, 11% to education, 28% to interest payments alone. I find this totally immoral,” he said.

Team Unity’s absence

Notable was how the Ang Kapatiran trio, who have performed poorly in surveys, caught the students’ attention.

“After the debate, I got to know Ang Kapatiran,” said Linette Arreola, a junior from UP-Diliman. “They would certainly have a spot in my ballot.”

Clark Cue (IV BS ME), president of the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA), had a similar opinion, noting that he didn’t even consider the Kapatiran candidates in the mock elections before the debate. “After hearing them, I think I would consider the three of them. Maganda ang mga sinabi nila (Their speeches were good)."

On the other hand, many were disappointed with the absence of administration bets.

Seelin explained that whereas with GO candidates, the problem was only with conflicting schedules, “with Team Unity, we really had a problem getting them.”

Claudio added, “I think it just shows the lack of transparency or accountability of this government to the most critical sector of society, which is the youth.”

with reports from Ryan Edward L. Chua and Lionel D. Lopez-Dee

Ateneo heads Namfrel QC quick count

by Ayee D. Macaraig INSTEAD OF eating out with friends or partying, Justin Victor de la Cruz (BS Mgt ’07) will be tabulating votes on his birthday, May 14, which is also national elections day.

De la Cruz is one of over 1,000 volunteers for Bantay Bilang, an election quick count that the Loyola Schools (LS) has volunteered to head.

Bantay Bilang is the Operation Quick Count of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) for the Quezon City (QC) chapter.

Accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Namfrel will conduct the quick count for the May 14 elections.

To check against cheating

The quick count aims to be an alternative to the official Comelec vote count and is therefore a check against the manipulation of results.

The tabulation of votes will be conducted non-stop from May 14 to 20 at the Manuel V. Pangilinan Center for Student Leadership (MVP-CSL) and at Faura Hall.

Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral (Sanggu) President Karl Satinitigan (IV BS LM) said that the Ateneo has been volunteering to help in the QC quick count since 1987.

The chairpersons of this year’s quick count are outgoing Office of Student Activities (OSA) Director Miriam Delos Santos, former Sanggu President Boyet Dy (AB DS ’06), and Office for Social Concern and Involvement (OSCI) Director Mary Ann Manapat.

As of press time, the chairpersons could not be reached for comment.
Restoring belief in elections

Satinitigan and former Sanggu Vice President Pao Abarcar (AB Eco-H ’07) are also leaders of the quick count.

“[The quick count] aims to restore belief and hope in the [electoral] system. It combats that powerlessness we often feel and shows us that we can help make [the electoral system] better,” said Abarcar.

Satinitigan said that the Ateneo volunteered for the quick count to serve the QC community and to help ensure that the country’s democracy-in-progress works.

Despite the enormity of the task, volunteer de la Cruz is looking forward to helping out in the quick count. “I think May 14, [my birthday], will be a lot more special and meaningful by giving my efforts and my time to our country. It’s worth it.”

“[These] elections [are] our elections. No matter how we hate [the candidates] or this government or the politics in this country, it is our government and our politics and our country,” Satinitigan added.

Namfrel QC Chairman Don Rapadas said that since the Ateneo is an institution that is very much aware of social issues and realities, “it’s very easy for [it] to take up a good cause. It’s not something that you need to hard sell.”

“One person, one vote”

Benjamin Tolosa Jr., Ph.D., associate professor of the Department of Political Science, emphasized the importance of the quick count.

“One person, one vote. That’s something that’s sacred that you have to protect and therefore you have to make sure that it’s counted and counted right,” said Tolosa.

The actual counting of individual ballots is not part of the quick count, as this is done in the precinct level by Comelec-mandated teachers. Rather, the quick count involves checking if the votes are correctly tallied and if the number of votes equals the number of actual voters.

To do this, volunteers will use the sixth copy of the election return (ER), a document containing the number of registered and actual voters in a precinct and the number of votes cast in that precinct.

Rapadas said that even if the Namfrel quick count is unofficial, it is still credible because the ER is an official document.

Going beyond elections

Tolosa said that the quick count must be seen as part of a larger effort that the Ateneo is involved in—the nationwide movement called 1 Million Volunteers for Clean Elections (VforCE).

He added that about 85% of Filipinos vote but their participation must go beyond the elections to attain long-term political and social change.

Such change is one of the goals of VforCE together with protecting the integrity of the elections, and fighting fraud and violence.

The VforCE projects tackle voters’ education (Pinoy Voters’ Academy), campaign finance checking (Bantay Kampanya), poll watching (Bantay Presinto), canvass monitoring (Bantay Canvass), and an accountability mechanism (Bantay Pangako).

The Ateneo is involved in VforCE through the Sanggu and LS orgs, Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB), the Ateneo Professional Schools (APS), and the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC).

with reports from Stephanie O. Chan and Karl Louie B. Fajardo

Attendance in quick count GA higher than expected

by Ojie L. Ocampo

“OVERWHELMING” WAS how Don Rapadas, Quezon City (QC) chairman of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), described the volunteer turnout for the first quick count general assembly (GA).

The 680 volunteers who attended the GA on April 16 filled all of the seats in Escaler Hall, with some people having to sit on the floor and outside the hall.

The GA briefed volunteers on the quick count of the QC votes, a project that the Loyola Schools (LS) heads in cooperation with Namfrel to check the accuracy of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) vote count.

The quick count, also known as Bantay Bilang, will be held from May 14 to 20 at the Manuel V. Pangilinan Center for Student Leadership (MVP-CSL) and at Faura Hall.

Joanna Beatrice Gomez (III BS Psy), volunteer support head for the quick count, said that the GA attendance was double the expected 250 to 300 people.

“Stepping up”

Gomez said that she is grateful to the volunteers for stepping up. She added that it is enlightening to know that the youth, the future of the country, still have a drive for volunteering.

Rapadas also said, “I think [that the turnout] is a manifestation that [the volunteers] still have hope and that they still believe that they can still make a difference, and make their vote make a difference in the coming elections.”

Having the chance to make a difference is the main reason Gomez cited to explain the GA attendance. “I think the thought that nandiyan iyong opportunity na makakatulong ka (there is an opportunity to help) to the bigger nation is very enticing.”

Alexandra Filipina Orosa (IV AB IS) said that even if she is not a registered voter, she volunteered for the quick count to help in some way.

Eryn Gayle De Leon (II BS ES), another volunteer, said that the quick count is a step to ending the corruption and dishonesty in the country’s electoral system. “It especially empowers the youth with the ability to change the society which they constantly lambast.”

De Leon also said that the efforts of the Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral (Sanggu) to organize the quick count have been successful. “It’s great to see a socially active student council.”

The Sanggu started organizing election-related projects last school year with its “Reg2Vote” campaign, which encouraged students to register to vote in the elections. Reg2Vote won the Most Outstanding Project Award in the 2007 LS Awards for Leadership and Service (LSALS).

“Still not enough”

Gomez said that as of press time, there are over 1,000 volunteers listed in the quick count’s database, 661 of which already have shifts. She also said that the volunteers are mostly Ateneans.

Rapadas and Gomez added that despite the good attendance in the GA, the volunteer turnout is still not enough to reach the target 2,736 tabulation volunteers. This number is needed if each volunteer is to have only one shift.

“[But] I know that Ateneans are very eager [and] zealous about these things so I’m sure they will commit to more than one shift [to] make up for the lack in number,” said Rapadas.

When asked regarding probable reasons for just an average response, Gomez said that vacation and summer classes hinder people from volunteering.

Rapadas, meanwhile, said that practicality is a factor affecting volunteerism for the entire QC chapter. “Some people have become more practical as to choose kung ano iyong may bayad (whatever it is that has pay).”

Both Gomez and Rapadas agreed that the existence of other organizations divides the volunteer base and therefore lessens the potential quick count volunteers.

Rallying for more

“[Volunteers must] see the work that they are doing as something that will contribute to the history of Ateneo—that once in 2007, we have made sure that we value so much our right to suffrage, and truth and honesty,” said Rapadas.

People can still volunteer for the quick count by sending their contact information and desired shifts to bantaybilang@yahoo.com or by joining bantaybilang_home@yahoogroups.com. Gomez said that walk-in volunteers are also welcome.

with a report from Yeni C. Raboca

Bantay Bilang volunteers train for tasks

by Stephanie O. ChanTO ORIENT volunteers and to remind them about the significance of their tasks, training sessions for Bantay Bilang, an election quick count headed by the Loyola Schools (LS), were held on April 21 and 22 at Escaler Hall.

Quick count Volunteer Training Head Aaron Palabyab (AB Comm ’07) conducted the training sessions with quick count Chairperson Boyet Dy (AB DS ’06).

Palabyab is a former 4th year Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral (Sanggu) executive officer for the School of Social Sciences (SOSS) Board, while Dy is a former Sanggu president.

Bantay Bilang is the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) Operation Quick Count for the Quezon City (QC) chapter. Now with over 1,000 volunteers, this project aims to conduct a quick count of QC votes to validate the Commission on Elections (Comelec) vote count.

Over 2,000 volunteers needed

Namfrel QC Chairman Don Rapadas said that QC volunteers have an enormous task.

As of January 2007, QC has one of the country’s largest voting populations, which is 1,043,229.

For the quick count, 2,736 volunteers are needed to man the non-stop operations from May 14 to 20 at the Manuel V. Pangilinan Center for Student Leadership (MVP-CSL) and at Faura Hall.

Each day will have six shifts, with each shift consisting of four hours. There should be 76 people per shift to maintain operations.

How the quick count works

In the training sessions, Palabyab explained the tasks that volunteers may sign up for: checkers, runners, readers, encoders, and filers.

The process begins when the administration staff receives the sixth copy of the election return (ER), the official document containing the number of registered and actual voters in a precinct, and the number of votes cast in that precinct.

At the Colayco Pavilion, the admin staff will sort and process the ERs. These will then be given to runners, who will hand the ERs to the storage area at the second floor of MVP-CSL.

Palabyab said that checkers will then make sure that the information in the ERs is complete, especially the number of registered and actual voters. The tallies of votes at the end of the ERs also have to match the stick figures.

ERs with incomplete or incorrect information will be set aside and the admin staff will contact the precinct in question to clarify the matter. Otherwise, checkers will give them to runners, who will bring them to the tabulating center in Faura Hall.

At Faura, readers will dictate the contents of the ERs to the encoder, who will input the data into a program designed to tabulate and automatically consolidate the votes.

The runners will then bring the ERs to the post-storage area at the second floor of MVP-CSL. Filers will do final checks and then file the ERs according to district.

Meanwhile, the system administrator will send the updated results to the secure site of Namfrel National every half-hour or every hour by uploading a special file with all the consolidated results.

Namfrel National will then do the final consolidation and prepare the reports for the media, political parties and candidates.

“Helpful training”

For volunteer Ma. Larissa Rachelle Espiritu (II BS Mgt), the training was helpful. “I was able to understand the different aspects of the system that I am sure will help me execute the [task] I signed up [for] properly.”

Palabyab said that only 325 volunteers attended the training sessions. The rest of the volunteers would have to go through walk-in training.

Palabyab added that volunteers must be alert, responsible, and focused. “While [the work] will be fun because [volunteers] get to work with their friends while doing something for the country, they shouldn’t forget that what they’re doing is actually serious business.”

with a report from Nikko Carlo A. Tolentino

GLIMPSES SPECIAL EDITION: Ateneo's Involvement in VforCE Projects

by Jan Lane G. Canseko

SLB and Sanggu contribute to voters’ education

FROM MAY 1 to 14, Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan’s (SLB) Bantay Call Center project will be open to answer election-related inquiries. Callers anywhere from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao can dial 10-149 from a PLDT landline to talk to a tele-educator for free.

Geared towards people who cannot read or who have limited access to the Internet, the two-week activity aims to help people make educated votes. It will also be made available to OFWs.

For those who have easy access to the Internet, various institutions like the De La Salle University (DLSU) and the Makati Business Club (MBC) have provided Web sites that present information on candidates’ profiles.

With the importance of political education among voters, especially the youth, candidates’ forums were also held. The Union of Catholic Student Councils (UCSC) and the Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral (Sanggu), under the leadership of former President Luis Abad (AB Eco-H ’07), sponsored a senatorial candidates’ forum at St. Scholastica’s College (SSC) last March 9.

Ateneo orgs handle VforCE communications

WITH THE elections fast approaching, several organizations have pushed for political consciousness and volunteerism through communications and resource-generation.

For the Ateneo effort, the Ateneo Debate Society (ADS), the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR), and the Association of Communication Majors (AComm) are leading the communications work. Batch 2007 valedictorian Leloy Claudio (AB Comm ’07) and former HPAIR President Sharmila Parmanand (AB PoS ’07) are heading this initiative.

Parmanand said that they are working for the visibility of VForCE in mainstream media to reach a bigger audience. In partnership with advertising company Campaigns and Grey, they conceptualized a media campaign which is set to be broadcasted soon.

The Makati Business Club (MBC), meanwhile, is handling logistical support for the Democracy Fund. Key leaders of One Voice, a non-partisan movement calling for social and electoral reforms, are also undertaking the overall effort in coordination.

AHRC and Law School Student Council to help monitor canvassing

TO ENSURE the effectiveness of election monitoring, the group 1 Million Volunteers for Clean Elections (VforCE) has launched three projects: Poll Watch 2007 or Bantay Presinto, Operation Quick Count or Bantay Bilang, and canvass monitoring or Bantay Canvass.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) will lead the poll watch, the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) will conduct the quick count, and the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) is in charge of canvass monitoring.

LENTE is a nationwide network of lawyers, law students, and paralegals. The Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) and the Ateneo Law School (ALS) Student Council are part of LENTE. Atty. Carlos Medina Jr., executive director of the AHRC, is also a LENTE co-convenor.

Bantay Presinto, meanwhile, aims to ensure clean and fair elections by designating trained poll-watchers to monitor counting activities, while Bantay Canvass will watch over the aggregation of votes at the municipal, city and provincial levels and respond to calls for legal assistance.

Ateneo groups help communities develop agenda

TO HEIGHTEN political awareness and responsibility among Filipinos, the group 1 Million Volunteers for Clean Elections (VforCE) developed Pinoy Voters’ Academy. VforCE also came up with Bantay Pangako, a project that allows communities to set their agenda, choose their candidates, and hold these candidates accountable. It also involves monitoring the fulfillment of campaign promises after the elections.

Bantay Pangako is concerned with direct community development work, which involves various social involvement offices such as former members of the now-defunct Socially-oriented Organizations of the Ateneo (SOA), Gawad Kalinga (GK), and the Office for Social Concern and Involvement (OSCI).

Department of Economics Lecturer Philip Tuano and Benjamin Barretto, special project assistant for development of the Ateneo School of Government (ASG), are coordinating Bantay Pangako.

with a report from Xianne S. Arcangel