Comelec and Smartmatic treat 2010 elections as a joke

UNSEALED PASSWORD COULD WREAK HAVOC
IN THE PRESIDENTIAL CANVASSING:
Comelec and Smartmatic treat 2010 elections as a joke

Bayan Muna Partylist representatives Teddy Casiño and Neri Colmenares were shocked at the cavalier fashion with which Comelec and Smartmatic treated the installation of the Consolidation Server for the Presidential Canvassing in the House of Representatives. “Comelec and Smartmatic did not send a representative in the installation, giving the House Secretary General the thankless job of explaining on their behalf. Their absence is a major insult to the House. They think our questions do not matter” said Bayan Muna representative Teddy Casiño. “Worse, the very important security tokens and their passwords were placed in an unsealed ordinary white envelope normally used in soliciting donations in barangay beauty contests. Magulo ang pag turn over ng Comelec at Smartmatic sa House. Can you imagine, they were using the guidelines for provincial canvassing as they were installing the CCS for the presidential canvassing. Parang joke lang sa Comelec ito”, added Rep. Casiño.

House Secretary General Marilyn Yap explained that those results that were not electronically transmitted will be entered in the CCS manually by entering the physically transmitted memory or CF cards. When asked if this will expose the CCS to fraudulent manipulation, she explained that only those who know the password can open the CCS to enter the physically transmitted results. “This exposes the presidential canvassing to fraud. Anyone who could have accessed the security tokens in the unsealed envelop and read the passwords written in a piece of paper, could now enter fake results in the CCS” said Bayan Muna Representative Neri Javier Colmenares. “Any losing presidential candidate can now question these results creating havoc in the presidential canvassing. The fact that the envelopes were open is a major fiasco for the presidential canvassing.”

Members of the House were also informed that results of the Overseas Absentee Voting will not be electronically transmitted but will be transmitted physically through its memory card. “Waiting for the results from countries abroad will surely cause delay in the canvassing. It is possible that we will be canvassing the results for more than 48 hours” said Rep. Colmenares. “Moreover, it is difficult for the watchers of poor party list candidates like Bayan Muna who cannot afford watchers to guard the memory cards all the way to the Philippines."

The installation was a failure according to Rep. Casiño. “Marami pang ibang palpak sa installation. The card or flash reader was not tested if it can read information,or if it will accept CF cards physically transmitted. There was even no testing of electronic transmission. Bayan Muna will submit a protest with the Comelec on these dangerous developments,” declared Rep. Casiño.

Bayan Muna calls on public to be vigilant in protecting their votes

Garbage in, garbage out

Bayan Muna warns vs. electronic cheating,
calls on public to be vigilant in protecting their votes

Witnessing the installation of the CCS machine at the House of Representatives which would receive electronic returns for the national canvass for president and vice president on election day, Bayan Muna representatives Teddy Casiño and Neri Colmenares today reiterated their call for the Comelec to implement new safeguards, "otherwise, the CCS machines will be susceptible to that basic rule in computer technology - garbage in, garbage out."

Bayan Muna is opposing proposals to postpone the May 10 elections and wants Comelec to implement remedial measures to all technical problems to ensure credible polls. "While we agree that some form of parallel and expanded random manual count is warranted given the defects of the PCOS, we also warn against a return to full manual counting since there will be higher risks of cheating to be done by experts and veterans of the rigged 2004 elections."

"But whether there will be full automation, partial, parallel, or random manual counting, the people will now have to take it upon themselves to prevent cheating. Comelec and Smartmatic are part of the problem. The solution is the people's vigilance," he said.

"At this point, automation can not guarantee clean, credible elections. We call on our people to be ready to be sleepless for two or three days just to guard the votes. Let us be involved in the checking and sealing process. We must be involved in the counting process. Let people power be alive on May 10," stressed Casiño.

"We must stop Oplan RAFAEL (the scheme to retain Arroyo through failure of elections). Bayan Muna appeals to the public not to be deceived into thinking everything's okay. We are raising our voices to alert the citizenry, to foil the plans of those who wish to control every democratic institution for their own selfish interests. Let's be vigilant in protecting the sanctity of the ballot as our means for instituting reforms beneficial to the people," Casiño urged.

Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Neri Colmenares illustrated how problematic the situation could be if "defective" CF memory cards are replaced by another batch of defective cards. "There will be delays, a failure or postponement where the machine or program malfunctions. Some will be forced to do manual counting. This is where expert cheaters can manipulate the results through dagdag-bawas. Or it could be a high-tech, electronic cheating like card switching or transmission of fake results," Colmenares said.

"Generals Bangit, Mapagu and Sec. Gonzales, with their vast network of spies, know some things they are not telling us. They know exactly who stands to benefit from an Arroyo term extension. Instead, they have been lying and deflecting the issue of military involvement in cheating! If these three are not involved in electoral fraud, they should have immediately investigated their subordinates whom we have complained for conducting threats and harassment against progressive candidates and members," Colmenares added.

A protest action is also being held simultaneously at the Comelec central office in Manila.###

PCOS glitches part of plot? Stop Oplan RAFAEL

PCOS glitches part of plot?

Stop Oplan RAFAEL (Retain Arroyo through Failure of Elections)!

In the light of the PCOS machines failure just 4 days away from the first ever automated national elections, Bayan Muna Partylist is raising the alarm bells for the near completion of a sinister plot to retain Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as president through a failure or postponement of elections.

“Everything is falling into place. As much as we want the elections to push through smoothly, five out of at least eight conditions have already been met for President Arroyo to be retained through failure of elections. Oplan RAFAEL (Retain Arroyo through Failure of Elections) must be stopped now by a united citizenry,” exclaimed Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño.

The militant legislator revealed eight stages of what he termed Oplan RAFAEL. “First, Arroyo appointed the Hello Garci generals in key positions as her loyal praetorian guards. Second, she increased the AFP's role in the electoral process. Third, we now have 'technical glitches' in the AES,” Casiño bared.

“Fourth, Arroyo's own lawyers have now floated the idea of postponing the elections as an option. Fifth, no sitting Senate president will succeed GMA since Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile has refused to vacate his post. The sixth condition will be Arroyo's midnight appointment of the Supreme Court Chief Justice to ensure a pro-Arroyo Court,” Casiño added.

“The seventh stage would be the failure of elections itself due to systemic failures, massive fraud, chaos or violence, which then completes stage eight of Oplan RAFAEL, wherein Arroyo remains as president in a holdover capacity."

"After nine years in Malacanang, Mrs. Arroyo is still hell-bent in stealing the presidency for the third time!” Casiño said. "She became president in 2001 after Joseph Estrada was ousted. She stayed in power through massive electoral fraud in 2004 with the help of the likes of 'Garci' and nationwide political operators including military officials. And now this."

“Given the configuration problems of the PCOS machines, we in Bayan Muna demand two things from the Comelec: 1) Turn on the feature that shows the voter, through the machine's LCD screen, how his ballot was counted; and 2) Conduct a parallel manual verification count,” Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said.

“In the face of poll automation failure, various groups and Bayan Muna will hold a Mass for HOPE (Honest, Orderly and Peaceful Elections) at the Baclaran Church today at 4:30 p.m. A candle lighting ceremony follows at 6 p.m. The public, known personalities and leaders are invited,” concluded Colmenares.###

BAYAN MUNA ASKS COMELEC TO IDENTIFY AND PROSECUTE PLOTTERS TO SABOTAGE THE ELECTION

BAYAN MUNA ASKS COMELEC TO IDENTIFY AND PROSECUTE PLOTTERS TO SABOTAGE THE ELECTION: Release of Mayuga Report also demanded

BAYAN MUNA Party List, concerned over the announcement of a plot to delay voting in the precincts, today submitted to Chairman Jose Melo an Urgent Appeal to petition the COMELEC to expose the plotters.

“Comelec should name names as this act of electoral sabotage is a serious electoral offense punishable with life imprisonment. Comelec has previously warned critics that they are committing an election offense if they make announcements without backing it with evidence. Now, the Comelec will not only be guilty of an election offense but will also not be setting a good example if it refuses to identify and prosecute candidates out to sabotage the polls. It is an impeachable offense if Comelec will not prosecute” said Bayan Muna Partylist Representative Neri Colmenares. “Otherwise, we will treat the Comelec announcement as a mere attempt to prepare the people for a failure of elections and point to a scapegoat other than the Comelec. This is outrageous.”

Parallel count, Transparent printing of Manual Ballots, Release of Mayuga Report

Bayan Muna also asked COMELEC to reconsider its decision on the parallel manual count by expanding its random manual audit to cover more precincts. “With more kinks found in the system by the Comelec itself when it tested the PCOs machines, the more reason why an expanded random manual audit should be undertaken that should cover at 10% of the polls or at least 6,000 precincts” said Bayan Muna Partylist Representative Teddy Casino. The kinks found by Comelec ranged from failed transmission, untested PCOs machines, servers and websites, misaligned ovals and this recent revelation of procedural delay.

In the same appeal, Bayan Muna asked that parties be allowed to witness the printing of election paraphernalia for manual counting. “We have not receive notice for our pollwatchers to witness the printing of manual election returns and other paraphernalia. These are accountable forms and may be the source of electoral fraud if the Comelec admission that 30% of the polls may be manual takes place. Why is it being printed without watchers is unacceptable” said Rep. Casino.

In the same Urgent Appeal, Bayan Muna also asked the COMELEC to subpoena the Mayuga Report which Pres. Gloria Arroyo refused to make public in 2006. “With the revelation by DND Sec. Norberto Gonzalez that fraud using the military is taking place, the COMELEC must find out which military unit and officers have been previously identified in order for the poll body to take remedial measures. The Comelec should not deputize a military or police officer identified by the Mayuga Report as having been involved in electoral fraud in 2004” said Rep. Colmenares. “We demand that Pres. Arroyo release the report and for Comelec to subpoena said report. During election period, Comelec has the plenary powers to subpoena the report and should take this opportunity to pry from the deathly grip of Pres. Arroyo a report that has eluded public scrutiny for years” Colmenares demanded. ###

BAYAN MUNA CHARGES GONZALES, BANGIT WITH ELECTION OFFENSES

BAYAN MUNA CHARGES GONZALES, BANGIT WITH ELECTION OFFENSES, CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION OF MISUSE OF INTELLIGENCE FUNDS FOR ELECTORAL FRAUD AND PARTISAN POLITICAL ACTIVITY

Bayan Muna representative and senatorial candidate Satur Ocampo will file a complaint at the COMELEC today against generals Delfin Bangit and Reynaldo Mapagu, and Department of National Defense Ssecretary Norberto Gonzales for partisan political activity and harassment conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines against supporters of Bayan Muna, senatorial candidate Satur Ocampo and other progressive candidates.

Bayan Muna wants COMELEC to prosecute Bangit, Gonzales, and Mapagu for misusing their official powers and functions, by ordering military personnel to conduct nationwide, organized, and systematic attacks against Bayan Muna's candidates and supporters, including the use of public funds to fund these activities.

Bayan Muna is also asking COMELEC to subpoena the military’s intelligence funds expenditure to investigate if these were spent on electoral intervention and fraud.

These acts of the military are partisan political activity and a clear violation of the Omnibus Election Code. The complaint is part of a series of complaints already filed against military officers in Sorsogon, South Cotabato and Davao.

“We have officials in the military and in the government especially Bangit, Mapagu, and Gonzales who have turned deaf despite the glaring evidence of violations committed by their subordinates. We will make sure that the perpetrators of these attacks are seriously prosecuted to hammer the message that the military should not interfere in the elections," Bayan Muna representative and legal counsel Neri Colmenares said. "We hope this will serve as a warning to those who persist in harassing us that we will not take this sitting down.”

“We are now asking the Commission on Elections to act with speed on this complaint and they should not, unlike the military, be numb to these violations,” he said.###

Bayan Muna: Foil ‘Oplan RAFAEL’

From no election to failure of election

Bayan Muna: Foil ‘Oplan RAFAEL’

In a picket-protest at the gates of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Camp Aguinaldo today, Bayan Muna Partylist warned against efforts by certain quarters in the defense department and the AFP to replace "Oplan No-El" (No Elections) with "Oplan RAFAEL" (Retain Arroyo through FAilure of ELections).

“The game plan of election operators within the Department of National Defense and the AFP has already changed from ‘NOEL’ to 'RAFAEL’ ,” Casiño said, noting how DND Sec. Norberto Gonzales himself had been repeatedly hammering at the possibility of poll failure due to defects in the automation system or other cheating mechanisms.

"Rather than a postponement of the elections, the scenario builders and planners including Gonzales are now looking at a failure of elections to ensure Arroyo's stay in power. These are creative and cunning minds who will exploit every opportunity to retain the status quo," he warned.

Casiño reiterated their call for Gonzales to resign or be fired for cooking up such scenarios.

“Sec. Gonzales himself, a staunch Arroyo loyalist, said there’s already fraud and cheating involving the military. That is true in the case of the AFP and its adjuncts actively campaigning against Bayan Muna, Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza. In fact, we are filing a complaint against Gonzales and Gen. Bangit later at the Comelec for election offenses,” Casiño added.

“The people should always be on guard and immediately report any military involvement in partisan electoral activities, which include campaigning for or against a candidate. We already have evidence of a nationwide smear and harassment campaign that military agents are doing against progressive candidates. We fear that the military’s attacks and electoral fraud against us will intensify in the coming days unless the AFP leadership seriously orders and sanctions all those involved in electioneering,” said Casiño.###

Comelec should disqualify ANAD, a military-backed pseudo-party-list group

Comelec should disqualify ANAD, a military-backed pseudo-party-list group

Bayan Muna filed with Comelec a petition to disqualify the Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) party-list group from participating in the 2010 party-list election for violating the Party-list System Act (Republic Act 7941).

Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño asserts that ANAD violated the standards set by the Party-list Law and jurisprudence because it failed to reach the 2% required votes in the 2001 and 2004 elections (and even in the 2007 elections) and that ANAD itself admits its non-representation of the marginalized and underrepresented sectors.

The petition states: "In the 2001 party-list elections, the National Alliance for Democracy (hereinafter referred to as NAD), founded and led by Pastor Alcover Jr. ran and lost its bid in the party-list election garnering only 49,147 votes or 0.3251% according to Comelec canvass records. Failing in its first bid for the party list election and mindful that they will be disqualified if they ran and lost as NAD in the 2004 elections, NAD and its leaders renamed the group the Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy or ANAD. ANAD though retained the same anti-communist advocacy as NAD, and the same leadership, that of Pastor Alcover. For all intents and purposes, ANAD was NAD, albeit parading in a pretty new dress. Not surprisingly, since it was merely NAD in costume, ANAD again failed to garner the required two percent vote in the 2004 elections garnering 1.91 % of the votes according to the Comelec Canvass of the 2004 elections. In fact, it managed to surreptitiously run in 2007, and again dismally failed to get the required 2% party list votes when it garnered a mere 1.1% according to the Comelec Canvass of the 2007 elections for a 3 election losing streak."

Casiño said "the Comelec has jurisdiction to disqualify ANAD as a candidate in the party list elections not only in the exercise of its plenary constitutional powers to implement clean and credible elections in the country, but also in the exercise of its moto proprio powers under Section 6 of RA 7941 or the Party list System Act."

Casiño added that "ANAD belongs to the military and the government and does not represent any of the marginalized sectors as provided by law and must therefore be disqualified." He explained that ANAD's main intention in Congress is not to represent the marginalized and under represented but merely to harass progressive party list groups.

A Philippine studies paper in the US Library of Congress points to ANAD as a vigilante group and a front of the military. Not only did its founder Pastor Alcover admit to founding, Alsa Masa, the dreaded armed vigilante group organized military, but he even traced ANAD to that vigilante group in an article by ANAD Mindanao Bureau.

The petition filed by Bayan Muna further states: "Not only was NAD, and later ANAD, an armed vigilante group, but it is a government concoction in violation of the Supreme Court doctrine in BAYAN MUNA vs Comelec which disqualified government organized party list organizations like “Mamamayan Ayaw sa Droga” (MAD). Worse, it is alleged to be funded by “large business” which makes it impossible for ANAD to represent the poor."

"Pastor Alcover owns a large security agency with 700 security guards. He also owns a placement agency which provided 3,000 workers for the Century Canning plant in General Santos city. These are not only large businesses, but the nature of his business shows that ANAD’s number 1 nominee can never pretend to represent the workers and the other marginalized sectors."

"Both ANAD and its nominees, particularly, Pastor Alcover should be disqualified because they do not represent nor do they belong to the marginalized and underrepresented."

Bayan Muna is working on its petition to disqualify another fake, military-backed party-list group known as Bantay party-list.###