MARCOS URGES COMELEC: DECIDE NOW ON MANNER OF ELECTION

MARCOS URGES COMELEC:

 DECIDE NOW ON MANNER OF ELECTION

SENATOR Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. prodded the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to make up its mind on what system to use in the 2016 national elections.

Marcos pointed out the urgency of the matter, noting that the Comelec is still studying its options even though the May polls are just 10 months away.

In a statement, Marcos reminded the poll body that a decision on the election system has to be made soon.

“What’s it gonna be? The Comelec should make up its mind because the clock is ticking away. From the looks of it, the Comelec has not yet decided 10 months before the scheduled elections. It’s already tight,” he said.

 Reports said the Comelec has abandoned the idea of the hybrid voting system or the Patas (precinct automatic tallying system) as an option after tests showed serious problems, plus the exorbitant cost it would entail.

Marcos noted that the Comelec is still weighing two more options, which are the refurbishment of the old precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines and the lease of new optical mark readers (OMR).

“If it’s PCOS or OMR, the Comelec has to pick now between the two and then proceed to the next step. I believe the Comelec knew by now the strong and weak points of the two systems, so I can’t see why it’s taking them so long to choose,” he said.

 “I can understand that the Comelec is only very careful in making the decision on what system would be implemented. But it is stuck there and has not moved further. I think it’s time now to make that judgment call so that it will have the luxury of a wider elbow room for the rest of the preparations”, Marcos suggested.

On New PNP Chief’sAppointment

On the other hand, Sen. Marcos welcomes the appointment of the Police Director Ricardo Marquez as the new PNP Chief.

Since the suspension of then PNP Chief Alan Purisima, I have been urging Malacanang to immediately appoint a permanent successor because a mere Officer-In-Charge lacks authority to initiate permanent policies that are crucial to the operation of the Philippine National Police.

The appointment of a permanent PNP Chief would finally bring clarity to the command structure of our police organization. I personally know Dir. Marquez because he once served as Regional Director for Region 1. I am confident that he has the ability and experience to lead the PNP and that he will discharge his duty to the best of his ability, he said. /MP