CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A five-member delegation from the Compact for Peaceful and Democratic Elections- International Observers Mission (Compact-IOM) assigned to this province will seek interviews with Pres. Arroyo and her ally gubernatorial candidate Lilia Pineda on the day before the May 10 elections.
Compact-IOM secretariat officer Arnold Tarrobago said the five international delegates will be among the 27 foreign observers to arrive in the country on May 6 to witness the conduct of the elections.
The outcome of the interviews will be used for their report on the conduct of the May 10 elections and their recommendations to ensure free and peaceful elections in the country in the future, he said.
Tarrobago said the recommendations will be submitted to the United Nations, the members of the diplomatic corps, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Philippine Congress and different civil society groups in the Philippines and other countries.
Tarrobago noted that foreign observers from Compact-IOM were also in the country in 2007 and later also made recommendations.
In the coming elections, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Maguindanao, Negros and Pasig City were chosen as destinations for the international observers.
In this province, five of the foreign observers plan to meet with Pres. Arroyo who is running for Congress in the second district and her ally Lakas-Kampi-CMD party’s Pineda whose gubernatorial candidacy is made controversial by her husband Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda’s being once tagged as a big-time gambling lord.
The observers also plan to interview reelectionist Liberal Party Gov. Eddie Panlilio, Sen. Lito Lapid, journalist Randy David who had initially planned to challenge the President’s congressional bid but backed out later, and LP’s Adonis Simpao who is running against Mrs. Arroyo.
Tarrobago said, however, that the list of interviewees is not yet final.
He identified the members of the delegation assigned to Pampanga as Paul Lempens, a member of parliament representing the Dutch Socialist Party in the Netherlands; Erna Andriyani, an officer of the Youth wing of Indonesia’s Partai Perserikatan Rakyat (People’s Union Party) or PPR; Hannah Horeis, a member of the Philippinenburo, an information and solidarity center of Germany’s Asia House; David Marshel Pakinathan, an officer of the Youth wing of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) of Malaysia, and; Jim Heddle, a democratic elections advocate and independent filmmaker based in San Francisco in the United States.
The five are expected to arrive at the Archdiocesan Social Action Center of Pampanga (Sacop) headquarters here on May 8 and immediately buckle down to work by meeting with local Comelec, police, and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) officials on the same day.
Tarrobago said that on May 9, they would want to meet with the President and the other Kapampangan candidates for the elections the following day.
He said that on elections day on May 10, the foreign observers would roam Pampanga to monitor the conduct of the polls in “key Pampanga municipalities and cities.” They will stay on up to May 11 to observe the provincial canvassing.
Tarrobago said that on May 12, all the 27 foreign observers deployed in various parts of the country will pool their assessment of the conduct of the elections and write their report up to May 13. On May 14, they are expected to announce their observations and recommendations in a press conference in Manila and then meet with the diplomatic corps.
In 2007, the automation of the coming elections was one of the recommendations of Compact-IOM.
Its other recommendations included:
– separation of national and local elections beginning with the national elections for President, Senate and House of Representatives in 2010 followed by provincial, city and municipal elections the year after;
– development of guidelines to reduce electoral expenses and increase transparency and accountability of electoral funding;
– freeing all polling stations from threat, intimidation and interference from any public or private forces;
– development by the Comelec of a publicly available transparent standards and guidelines for the location and size of precincts and locations of polling stations;
– additional procedures to ensure the privacy of citizens ballots;
– clear guidelines for the conduct of elections in election hotspots and areas of concern.
– enforcement by the Comelec of all electoral laws.
– separation of the judicial and administrative functions of the Comelec and the establishment of a new independent court to settle disputes over electoral conduct in a timely and independent manner;
– improvement by the Comelec of its administrative efficiency;
– development and delivery of a comprehensive voter education and information program;
– additional funding to civil society organizations for voter education, poll watching, capacity-building and training of volunteers.
– maintainance by the Comelec of an accurate and complete list of registered voters at all times;
– recognition of Comelec identification cards as a primary means of identification and entitlement of citizens to cast their vote, and;
– assurance that the Armed Forces should be non partisan and implement strict guidelines regarding activities during elections strictly according to its mandate.
Compact-IOM secretariat officer Arnold Tarrobago said the five international delegates will be among the 27 foreign observers to arrive in the country on May 6 to witness the conduct of the elections.
The outcome of the interviews will be used for their report on the conduct of the May 10 elections and their recommendations to ensure free and peaceful elections in the country in the future, he said.
Tarrobago said the recommendations will be submitted to the United Nations, the members of the diplomatic corps, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Philippine Congress and different civil society groups in the Philippines and other countries.
Tarrobago noted that foreign observers from Compact-IOM were also in the country in 2007 and later also made recommendations.
In the coming elections, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Maguindanao, Negros and Pasig City were chosen as destinations for the international observers.
In this province, five of the foreign observers plan to meet with Pres. Arroyo who is running for Congress in the second district and her ally Lakas-Kampi-CMD party’s Pineda whose gubernatorial candidacy is made controversial by her husband Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda’s being once tagged as a big-time gambling lord.
The observers also plan to interview reelectionist Liberal Party Gov. Eddie Panlilio, Sen. Lito Lapid, journalist Randy David who had initially planned to challenge the President’s congressional bid but backed out later, and LP’s Adonis Simpao who is running against Mrs. Arroyo.
Tarrobago said, however, that the list of interviewees is not yet final.
He identified the members of the delegation assigned to Pampanga as Paul Lempens, a member of parliament representing the Dutch Socialist Party in the Netherlands; Erna Andriyani, an officer of the Youth wing of Indonesia’s Partai Perserikatan Rakyat (People’s Union Party) or PPR; Hannah Horeis, a member of the Philippinenburo, an information and solidarity center of Germany’s Asia House; David Marshel Pakinathan, an officer of the Youth wing of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) of Malaysia, and; Jim Heddle, a democratic elections advocate and independent filmmaker based in San Francisco in the United States.
The five are expected to arrive at the Archdiocesan Social Action Center of Pampanga (Sacop) headquarters here on May 8 and immediately buckle down to work by meeting with local Comelec, police, and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) officials on the same day.
Tarrobago said that on May 9, they would want to meet with the President and the other Kapampangan candidates for the elections the following day.
He said that on elections day on May 10, the foreign observers would roam Pampanga to monitor the conduct of the polls in “key Pampanga municipalities and cities.” They will stay on up to May 11 to observe the provincial canvassing.
Tarrobago said that on May 12, all the 27 foreign observers deployed in various parts of the country will pool their assessment of the conduct of the elections and write their report up to May 13. On May 14, they are expected to announce their observations and recommendations in a press conference in Manila and then meet with the diplomatic corps.
In 2007, the automation of the coming elections was one of the recommendations of Compact-IOM.
Its other recommendations included:
– separation of national and local elections beginning with the national elections for President, Senate and House of Representatives in 2010 followed by provincial, city and municipal elections the year after;
– development of guidelines to reduce electoral expenses and increase transparency and accountability of electoral funding;
– freeing all polling stations from threat, intimidation and interference from any public or private forces;
– development by the Comelec of a publicly available transparent standards and guidelines for the location and size of precincts and locations of polling stations;
– additional procedures to ensure the privacy of citizens ballots;
– clear guidelines for the conduct of elections in election hotspots and areas of concern.
– enforcement by the Comelec of all electoral laws.
– separation of the judicial and administrative functions of the Comelec and the establishment of a new independent court to settle disputes over electoral conduct in a timely and independent manner;
– improvement by the Comelec of its administrative efficiency;
– development and delivery of a comprehensive voter education and information program;
– additional funding to civil society organizations for voter education, poll watching, capacity-building and training of volunteers.
– maintainance by the Comelec of an accurate and complete list of registered voters at all times;
– recognition of Comelec identification cards as a primary means of identification and entitlement of citizens to cast their vote, and;
– assurance that the Armed Forces should be non partisan and implement strict guidelines regarding activities during elections strictly according to its mandate.
