Comelec extends registration hours

In anticipation of last-minute registrants, the Commission on Elections will be extending by at least four hours the daily voters' registration being conducted across the country until the end of the month. "We are aware that a lot of Filipinos choose to register at the last minute. So in order to accommodate them and also address the growing crowds at our field offices as we near the registration deadline, the Comelec en banc has ordered the extension of office hours in all registration centers nationwide," said Comelec spokesman James Jimenez. Jimenez said that starting October 22 until October 30, registration hours in Comelec field offices will be open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Registration on October 31, the last day for registration, will be open until 12 midnight. Jimenez was quick to clarify, however, that they are only extending the registration hours, not the registration days. "We need the remaining time this year to finalize the list of voters so that we can finalize also our allocation, if we cannot finalize out allocations on time, we might have shortages on election day and that is something we want to avoid," he told reporters. For this purpose, Jimenez said they are also fielding 62 new data capturing machines used in the registration process. “Nagkaroon ng sobrang daming dating ng bagong rehistro (There was an influx of new registrants), in order to accommodate the overflow, we will be fielding 62 new data capturing machines throughout various places in Metro Manila," he said. Jimenez said these machines will definitely boost the number of registered voters listed with the poll body. "What you need to really appreciate I guess is the impact of these new machines. The reason why we are moving really slowly is isang makina o dalawa lang sa isang place (there is only one or two machines in one place)," he said. Earlier, the Comelec had also opened the registration for two Sundays in areas greatly affected by typhoons “Ondoy" and “Pepeng." "Those that were affected by the floods will have Sundays but other places outside Luzon will not have registration day on Sunday," said Jimenez. The offices of the elections officers opened last October 18 and will also be open on October 25 including those in Regions I, II, III, IV-A, V, CAR, and NCR. The Comelec had also earlier allotted last Friday, October 16, as a special registration day for persons with disabilities in six cities, specifically Cagayan De Oro City, Davao City, Cabanatuan City, Zambonga City, IloIlo City, and San Fernando City in Pampanga. Meanwhile, the poll body spokesman said they are also looking into reports that some Comelec field offices have not been doing their work properly. "We’ve been receiving reports of this, we’re trying to figure out on a case to case basis. Obviously, bawat isang lugar mayroon siyang sariling set of challenges na kung minsan (every place will have their own set of challenges which would sometimes) lead them to open late or sometimes not open at all," he said. Figures from the poll body indicate that as of July 2009, there are a total of 45,638,243 registered voters for the 2010 elections. In the 2007 elections, there were 45,029,443 registered voters

Papa Manny in the eyes of Camille

Potential First Daughter Camille Villar sat with the movie press the other day to announce the concert (admission is free) Rockatropa set for tomorrow (Sept. 26) night at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) concert grounds, hosted by Cristine Reyes and Valerie Concepcion and featuring Bamboo, Parokya ni Edgar, Kamikazee, Sandwich and Itchyworms.

Very clearly, Sen./Presidentiable Manny Villar’s unica hija is in-charge of mobilizing the youth sector during the 2010 campaign.

“I am young, too, and I know the pulse of the youth,” said Camille, 24. “My dad decided to hold the concert so he can reach out to the young and inspire them with his life story, how he rose from poverty. But most importantly, Rockatropa will launch (the Nacionalista Party’s) BDABOSS (Be The Boss), a youth entrepreneurial campaign. Bibigyan niya ng pondo ang mga kabataang may magandang business ideas. We want to empower the youth. Basically, my dad just wants to have fun; gusto niya makapiling ang kabataan at makisaya kasama nila.”

The movie press then asked Camille (who has two older brothers, Mark and Paolo) how Sen. Manny is as a father and what the youth can learn from him.

“Sobrang bait,” said Camille. “I’m his favorite daughter,” adding with a laugh, “being the only daughter. He’s very malambing and very caring. It doesn’t matter how big his own problems are, but when we children have problems he’s always there for us. I think being a father is one of the things he’s proud of kasi buo ang pamilya namin, maayos niya kaming pinalaki. He taught us to live simply.”

That’s one side of him that Sen. Manny will be telling the youth at the Rockatropa concert.

“And he’s faithful,” added Camille, “both to us and to our mom (Rep. Cynthia Villar). He’s basically a family man. Sabi niya, sobrang complicated na ang political life niya, pati business minsan magulo, so he always has our family to fall back on. Gustong-gusto niyang kasama kami and he always makes time for us.”

Is Sen. Manny picky with food?

“He likes street food kasi ‘yon ang kinalakihan niya. Batang Tondo ‘yan, eh. Sanay sa hirap. He likes all kinds of saging, especially saging na saba — turon, nilagang saba, bananacue, all of them. He likes peanuts, corn, tamalis, siopao, mooncake. His favorite dish is tilapia, dati fried but now steamed na lang. Naging favorite din namin ang tilapia because of him. Hindi siya sanay sa beef. He used to sell shrimps in the market and that’s also his favorite, shrimps.”

Would he be happy having dinner at, say, Le Cirque?

“I doubt it,” laughed Camille. “Ayaw niya ng fancy dinner. Maiilang siya doon.”

Those casual-dressing (denims and tees) crowd in tomorrow’s Rockatropa can easily identify with Sen. Manny who shuns designer clothes not because he can’t afford them but because he’s used to wearing “cheap” ones.

“Hindi siya pihikan sa damit. We shop together. He buys simple clothes, ‘yung hindi mahal.”

Told that her dad doesn’t seem to get angry, cool as a cucumber and gracious under pressure, Camille begged off.

“Marunong din siyang magalit, especially when he is hit below the belt...kapag pagkatao na niya ang nasisira because of lies. I know dad. Ayaw niyang nakikipag-away. He finds it a waste of time; he wants to be productive rather than away nang away na wala namang nari-resolve. In general, he’s a steady and cool person; he is in public what he is at home — cool. My mom is the disciplinarian and my dad, well, he’s just, you know, calm and collected.”

So how do they know that their dad is already angry?

“Hindi na siya nagsasalita,” Camille laughed. “Kapag tumatahimik na siya. That’s when we start to behave. Pero hindi siya nagfri-freak out or anything like that.”

Does he spare the rod and spoil the children?

“He doesn’t have to. Behaved kami. He never fails to remind us what his own mom, our Lola, always tells him, ‘Don’t forget where you come from’. Even now that we can afford it, he doesn’t spoil us with money or material things. Luckily, we don’t derive much pleasure or happiness from material things. We are thankful that we are a happy family and our parents sent us to the best schools.”

There’s a ha-ha-ha rumor that Wowowee host Willie Revillame is “eyeing” her as a potential, well, girlfriend. Totoo ba ang tsismis? (Willie has a “harmless” habit of insinuating that he might court this and that girl, including Gloria Diaz’s daughter Isabelle who starred with him in his music video and — what!?! — Lorna Tolentino who thought that the little gifts Willie has been sending her were, you know, mere tokens of friendship and not paramdam for something more serious.)

“It’s funny!” said Camille.

Asked what her “type” is, she smiled.

“Somebody like my dad. It’s hard to find one like him or ‘yung katulad ng mga kuya ko.”

Join the Rockatropa tomorrow and, while enjoying the rock bands, learn more about Sen. Manny and his family.

Comelec to tap 80,000 IT people for 2010 elections

MANILA, Philippines — With the obstacles to poll automation for the 2010 elections almost all cleared, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is now looking for information technology (IT) people to handle the voting machines.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento on Thursday said at least 80,000 IT personnel are needed to assist board of elections inspectors (BEIs) in the forthcoming polls.

RELATED LINKS» Smartmatic Backgrounder» Report/ Recommendation on the 2010 Automation Elections Project Procurement» Comelec to trim down polling precincts by 70%Anticipating the possibility that not enough public school teachers would be able to fill the required staff, the Comelec plans to tap IT personnel from various government agencies.

Should that still not be enough, the Comelec might tap the private sector, Sarmiento said.

He explained that the Comelec is allowed to tap IT-capable persons to be present in each precinct during Election Day.

Only those accredited by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) would be tapped, he added. Sarmiento said the mechanics of tapping IT people will be up for discussion at the Comelec very soon.

With the signing of a contract designating Smartmatic and Total Information Management (TIM) as the automation partner of the Comelec for the May 2010 elections, the poll body said it will go ahead with the clustering of the 250,000 precincts used in the 2007 polls to reduce these down to only 80,000 precincts.

Under the P7.2 million contract, Smartmatic and TIM will supply the 82,500 voting machines for the 2010 elections, with 2,500 machines serving as backup. One precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine is to cover about 1,000 voters.

Aside from the reduced number of precincts, the number of personnel manning the precincts will also be significantly reduced.

In the 2007 elections, the Comelec had to tap private school teachers to serve as members of the BEIs due to lack of public school teachers.

Records of the Department of Education (DepEd) showed that it had only 500,000 teachers during that most recent election, short of the 750,000 teachers required to serve as election inspectors. While Smartmatic Corp and TIM have promised to send their own computer technicians to manage the voting machines, the Comelec said such technicians won’t be allowed inside polling precincts.

Sarmiento said the law is specifically states that only BEI members and the IT-capable person are allowed inside polling precincts.