Comelec releases video on dos and don'ts during Election Day

The Commission on Elections released Wednesday its third voters’ education video – this time it is about what voters should do on Election Day.
                                   
Tina Tama and Boy Bawal, the two main characters in the voters' eduction video, joined forces in informing the voters what they should and should not do before, during and after voting.

In the four-minute video, Tina Tama initially told a lady voter to check her name on the list of voters and locate her voting precinct. The voter was also told to bring a valid identification card but not cedula and barangay certificate.

The voter should then present herself to the board of election inspectors who will give her the ballot, marker and ballot secrecy folder.

The voter told to shade the name of 12 senatorial candidates and one party-list organization only because over-voting will invalidate the vote for that position.

Tina Tama said the voter should use the secrecy folder when bringing her ballot to the PCOS (precinct count optical scan) machine and while feeding it to prevent other people from peeking into her ballot.

When the voter successfully feeds her ballot to the machine, she will return to the BEIs who will put indelible ink on her finger.

Boy Bawal said it is prohibited to peek into the ballot of other voters.

He also reminded voters not to bring water or other materials that could smear the ballots.

He added that voters should not put drawings and other marks on their ballots.

Also, voters can bring their cellphone but will not be allowed to take a picture of their ballot.

Boy Bawal also asked the voters to leave the precinct after casting their votes.

In an interview, poll chairman Sixto Brillantes said only a limited number of people are allowed to stay inside the precincts and they are the BEIs, a technician and watchers.

“Very specific kung sino ang pwede pumasok sa presinto,” he said.

He also said media people are not allowed inside the precinct.

“Media, no way. Sa premises lang, hindi pwede sa loob ng presinto. Not inside the precinct, the room itself,” he said.

Brillantes said the video was the culmination of their voters’ education project.

“Ipinakikita lang natin what are the correct things to do and what you are not supposed to do on election day. These are just simple reminders on the voting process. Kailangan paulit ulit,” he said, even as he acknowledged media’s help in thepoll body's voter education project.

“Media has been very helpful, naririnig ko palagi 'yan, kung paano bumoto,” he said.

In the first video where Boy Bawal was introduced, he informed the public the prohibited acts and materials during the campaign period and on election day.

In the second video, Tina Tama taught the people the legal and proper way of campaigning. — LBG, GMA News

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Velarde endorses 3 more candidates

The White Vote Movement led by the Catholic charismatic group El Shaddai endorsed three more senatorial candidates on top of the six it earlier named for the May 13 elections.
In an event held at the Velarde-owned Amvel City in Parañaque City on Saturday, El Shaddai leader and the movement’s spokesman Mike Velarde announced that they were also supporting United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) candidates Nancy Binay, Richard Gordon and Miguel Zubiri.
The three were in addition to the earlier endorsed candidates: UNA’s JV Ejercito, Gringo Honasan, Mitos Magsaysay and Team PNoy’s Koko Pimentel, Antonio Trillanes IV and Cynthia Villar.
In exchange for El Shaddai’s support, Velarde said that the candidates were made to sign a “pledge of commitment” to always fight for the Catholic Church’s stand once they get elected.
“They made a commitment that if they win, they will fight any proposed law that is against the family and anything that will lead to the annihilation of the Filipino race and things that are against the Word of God, against the commandments of God,” said Velarde.
He said the White Vote Movement will also monitor the candidates they endorsed “so we can also guide them.”
Earlier, Velarde explained that the movement was supporting these candidates because they stood with the Church in opposing the reproductive health (RH) law.
Other groups involved in the White Vote Movement include Couples for Christ-Foundation for Family and Life, Catholic Women’s League, Focolare Movement and Bukas Loob sa Diyos.
Velarde said previous experience showed that some candidates the El Shaddai had supported in last elections voted for the RH law.
“I pleaded with them to defer the bill for further deliberations so the people may know the truth and yet when the voting came, they were there. Anyway, there is always a day of reckoning. We won’t get back at them but we will act towards the right direction,” said Velarde in his speech.
The candidates the movement endorsed have also been dubbed “Team Buhay” by the Diocese of Bacolod because they voted against the family planning measure, except for Villar.
But Velarde noted that since Villar’s husband, Sen. Manuel Villar, voted against the RH bill, “his vote can be considered as the vote of the wife.”

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Troops told to pursue talks with communist rebels

MANILA, Philippines - Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin is encouraging military field units to hold localized negotiations with rebels as the peace talks between the national government and the communists remain stalled.
Gazmin said such move could help the military officials attain peace in their respective areas.
“We encourage the military (to hold localized talks) so that there will be peace in their areas of responsibility,” the defense chief said in a press conference Monday.
“If you are going to wait (for the impasse in the national level to be resolved), it will take long before the instruction is relayed (to the ground),” he added.
Gazmin said the supposed differences between the communist leaders in Netherlands and local commanders also delay the relaying of policies in the field.
“If you are a commander and you want peace, you should talk to them (rebels),” he said.

Gazmin believes that the communist leaders negotiating with the government do not feel the sentiments of those in the farms or those struggling in the mountains.

“Some of them (rebels) are tired (of fighting) and they can see the benefits of peace,” he said.
The peace talks between the government and the communists hit an impasse due to differences over jailed insurgents facing criminal cases.
The National Democratic Front (NDF), which represents the rebels in the talks, insists that its jailed leaders be freed since they are covered by immunity guarantees.
The government, however, refused to do so, saying the NDF has no means to prove that the jailed rebels are indeed peace consultants who should be immune from arrests.
Last week, government chief negotiator Alexander Padilla said they are considering a “new approach” to peacefully resolve the conflict with the communists.
Some sectors believe Padilla practically gave up on the peace talks with the NDF when he made the statement.
“We cannot wait forever for the other side if they continually refuse to go back to the negotiating table without preconditions. The government will be taking a new approach to pursue peace,” Padilla said in a statement.
“We have always been open to resume formal negotiations with them, but they keep on insisting on preconditions, such as the release of their detained consultants,” he added.
Padilla said the communists had also demanded that the government abolish its peace and development programs like the conditional cash transfer and Pamana, which aims to promote prosperity in conflict areas.
“These demands are just preposterous. We don’t want to engage in a negotiation where the other party is clearly fooling us,” Padilla said.
Despite the impasse, Gazmin said they still prefer peaceful means to resolve the conflict with the communists.
“We are all Filipinos and it’s about time we sit down and talk so that we save more lives,” he said. – Alexis Romero with C. M.

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