Commission on Election (COMELEC) Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Friday, 28 August, urged candidates and political parties participating in the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to use closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) to help safeguard ballots and other poll equipment and paraphernalia.

“Hindi ipinagbabawal,” assured the COMELEC chief during an interview with reporters.

(This is not prohibited.)

If there were ballots, equipment, and paraphernalia are stored for example in a COMELEC hall, he explained, “Wala kaming patakaran nagsasabing bawal magpalagay ng CCTV halimbawa ‘yung isang political party, ‘yung isang candidate para sigaraduhin na ‘yung lahat ng gamit na nandito sa loob ng bulwagan ay walang nakakahawak, walang nakakagalaw.”

(We don’t have rules that prohibits political parties and candidates to place CCTVs in the hall to ensure that no one will touch these.)

Garcia made the suggestion in response to concerns raised by some local officials in the BARMM against pre-shaded ballots.

“Magagawa lang naman ‘yung pagshashade ng mga balota, ‘yung mga tinatawag na pre-shading of the ballots bago dalhin ang mga balota sa mga presinto kung ang mga kababayan natin ay hindi bumoboto, natatakot, o mababayaran na lang,” he said.

(The pre-shading of ballots can only be done before the ballots have been brought to the precincts.) 

With this, Garcia urged poll watchers of watchdogs, political parties and candidates to monitor not only polling precincts.

“Hindi naman po namin ipagkakait ‘yun,” the chairman assured.

(We won’t deny you that.)

“In fact, ineengganyon natin na dapat nandoon lahat sila sa mga lugar na ‘yan upang masaksihan nila ‘yung mismong pag-iimbak ng mga gamit bago ito madistribute,” he added.

(In fact, we encourage them to be in places where they can watch the storing of election equipment and paraphernalia before these get distributed.)

For its part, Garcia assured that the COMELEC has measures against such concerns including placing security forces in polling precincts.

The chairman also pointed out that it is also difficult to sneak in pre-shaded ballots into the storage the COMELEC uses.

“Dito sa shading medyo napakahirap sapagkat ‘yung mismong pinaglalagyan ng mga balota namin ay safe and at the same time masyado maganda ‘yung pagkakaseal ng mga ballot box,” he explained.

(It will be difficult to do since the storage of the ballots are safe and our ballot boxes have very good seals.)