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Election News
Weekly News Summary
October 30- November 5, 2010

Poll body saved P300 M from October 25 polls, lawyer says

Atty. Ferdinand Rafanan, the head of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), saidd that the poll body had saved Php253.5 million in the procurement of the election supplies and paraphernalia for the recent barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan (SK) poll race .

Rafanan, who also heads the law department, said “This amount failed to go to bribery, graft and corruption. That is why some are not happy about me and they want me out of the BAC, the Law department, and the Comelec. They are not happy about these savings.”

However, Rafanan is among the personalities that will be invited by the House regarding the delays in the local polls due to late delivery of paraphernalia and other setbacks.

Bishop calls for abolition of youth council

Following alleged widespread vote buying and selling during the local polls in Legazpi, Albay, Catholic Bishop Joel Baylon called for the abolition of the Sanguniang Kabataan (SK or village youth council).

In his pastoral letter to the CBCPNews, the bishop called said the SK “may have lofty goals and some positive contributions but has been found generally wanting.”

Baylon, who is also heads the Episcopal Commission on Youth of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP-ECY), added the SK failed to teach the youth the morals inculcated in election which is good governance and the importance of democracy. There were reports showing that even SK candidates bribe voters to win, he said.

Comelec: Teachers’ election duty fees are ready

To address the complains of public school teachers who served as Board of Election Tellers (BETs) on delayed release of payment for their poll duties, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) assured that the money is already available for claiming.

In an interview, the Comelec spokesperson said that the money has been released and is available. The problem, he said, lies in withdrawing of money from the sources.

Rubbing to salt to injury, teachers groups said, is that aside from the late compensation the amount was cut from P2,500 in the 2007 barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to P2,000 this year.

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