The Comelec’s boots on ground

HONEST, orderly, peaceful, and credible elections on May 13, 2013 — that is at core the duty and burden of the boots on ground of the Commission on Elections. Will they prove themselves equal to the task? What worries, what inspires them? We checked it out.

Nine Fellows of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) conducted a survey, interviews, and field visits to the Comelec’s offices in Pampanga, Pangasinan, Batangas City, and Legazpi City. They filed this composite report in text, photo, and video formats.

The authors of Part 1 of our report (Comelec offices in Luzon) are Tonette T. Orejas, Aizeline M. David, Jay D. Mendoza, Glamorfe L. Calicdan, Sarita Kare-Telado, and Aireen Perol-Jaymalin. This report was supervised by PCIJ Training Director Che de los Reyes.

ANGELES CITY, PAMPANGA

Photos and Interview by TONETTE T. OREJAS

UNLIKE the other offices of the Comelec outside Manila, its office in Angeles City in the province of Pampanga is relatively “more spacious,” says City Election Officer Numer Lobo, quite proudly.

“I believe our office is conducive for work,” he says.

At present, the Angeles City Comelec office is divided into three areas: Staff and Election Assistants, Records and Information, and the office of the Election Officer. It has only one common comfort room. But unlike many other Comelec offices, this one has three airconditioning units, a television set, a refrigerator, a water dispenser, and a microwave oven, aside from the usual desktop computers (of which it has three) and printers (of which it has two). A number of the equipment, however, are personal property owned by the Comelec staff and are merely on loan to the office. Lobo himself says he owns one of the printers.

The office also has several “big” filing cabinets, although these apparently cannot take any more documents as evidenced by the piles of paper on top of the tables, as well as still more stacks sitting on the side of the stock area together with some ballot boxes.

Lobo, however, may be keen on counting his blessings since the office he heads gets a little more from Manila than its counterpart in neighboring Mabalacat City: P6,000 every quarter for cash advances. Lobo says though, that this fund can only be spent for office supplies and not for gas, even as he concedes that their liquidation process is “not that efficient.”

Unlike in Mabalacat City, however, the Comelec office in Angeles City does not receive any budget from the city government. Its electric and water bills, though, are paid by the city government pays for.

During the election period, Lobo says the central office provides them with an additional budget amounting to P30,000.

“(We) just operate according to (our) means,” he says, adding that whenever the budget falls short, they simply get the missing amount from their own pockets or ask other neighboring Comelec (field) offices for help.

The shortfall could be significant since the tasks in every Comelec office are never-ending. In every pre-election period, for instance, Lobo says that “last-minute registrants, delivery of registration supplies, and minimal number of VRM machines” have been problematic for them. He also says they have difficulties with the removal of campaign posters and keeping up with the statements of campaign expenditures and contributions since they are understaffed.

The Angeles City Comelec Office is located within Angeles City Hall, which seems fine with Lobo since, he says, “under the law, the host LGU (local government unit) is mandated to provide for an office to Comelec.”

“Aside from that, (we) are on (our) own,” he says. “Since I assumed office as Comelec officer in Angeles City, I have not asked for even a single ballpen from the LGU.”

He believes it is important for the city Comelec office and its personnel to be independent from the host LGU because “this is the basic step for building trust in the office that they represent.” He says they do not want the registered voters of Angeles to think that any kind of link to a certain official can influence the delivery of service by Comelec.

To this end, Lobo says that Comelec offices across the country would achieve “full independence” if all the personnel of Comelec — especially in its field offices — will come from the “national office and the building (office) will also come from the main office.”

In the meantime, Lobo thinks it would be wise to have “a uniform office for all Comelec field offices in the country.”

“The office must have a separate area for reception, for the staff, for the election officer, and for document storage,” he says. A vehicle provided by the Commission for the field offices certainly wouldn’t hurt as well, he says, since it would make them more efficient in their daily operations. For his office, he says “additional and more advanced office equipment would be very welcome” for its daily operations. — PCIJ

MABALACAT, PAMPANGA

Photos and Interview by AIZELINE M. DAVID

MABALACAT is a spanking new city, having been converted from a municipality into a component city of Pampanga province only during the last quarter of 2012. As a component city, Mabalacat’s 91,978 registered voters will also have to elect Pampanga’s provincial officials in the coming midterm elections in May.

These voters actually form just about half of the city’s population. But that still means that if they were to divide the number of Mabalacat voters among themselves, the staff of the Comelec Office of Mabalacat will each have to be responsible for about 7,075 voters. And that’s already counting the supplementary staff.

The city’s Comelec office has a team of 13. Only one is regular: City Election Officer Francisco David. His support staff of 12 is made up of two contractuals and 10 supplemental personnel from the city government. But David says the office needs eight more personnel to accommodate the area’s increasing number of voters.

It’s not clear where he will put those additional personnel if he ever gets them. The Mabalacat Comelec office’s two office divisions, personnel and documents, are already crammed with four desktop computers, one airconditioning unit, two electric fans, and three filing cabinets in big, medium, and small sizes. There are tables with piles of documents that could not fit into the filing cabinets. And then there are the personnel. Somehow people, paper, and equipment managed to fit into a space with a floor area of 13 x 13 square meters. Certain parts of its ceiling show signs of leakage from the rooftop.

David says their perennial problem before the elections is the “delay in the delivery of election documents and supplies.”

During the last elections, he says, some voters’ names were allegedly omitted in the list of voters. There were also long queues and an insufficient number of PCOS machines. They also experienced delays in the transmission of data due to air traffic problems and some of the machines were defective.

David, however, is also always busy trying to make ends meet at the office. He says it’s hard with the quarterly budget the Mabalacat Comelec office receives from the Commission’s central office: a measly P3,000 for its cash advances, or just P1,000 a month. During an election year, his office also receives an additional P30,000 as mobilization fund, but that is supposed to last them for the entire six months of the election period.

David says that when they fall short on office supplies, they ask from the other departments of City Hall. In this aspect, at least, his office may be considered more fortunate than most other Comelec offices surveyed by PCIJ fellows; not only does the Mabalacat City government provide the local Comelec with a monthly P4,000 budget, it also has an “election reserve fund,” which the Comelec field office can tap upon presentation of a “program of work.” For the upcoming May 13, 2013 polls, David says he will be requesting P200,000 from the Mabalacat City government.

The mobilization fund from the Comelec head office and the election reserve fund from the local government unit (LGU) though, are only available to the local Comelec during an election year. Otherwise, the combined funds from the Comelec head office and the local government do not suffice for the local poll body’s daily operating expenses. This is why David says his office has taken to a “sideline” of laminating identification cards. But he clarifies, “It is not compulsory for people to avail (of the) said service. Only when they want it, we don’t force it on them.”

David thinks the Comelec head office would do better to increase their quarterly budget to P5,000 from the current P3,000. He also says that it would be best if such a budget would be made into a permanent one that is integrated into the general budget, rather than the current ‘cash-advance’ system that is subject to liquidation.

As it is, David is already feeling that their office is not as independent as it should be. From its office space to its budget, and even its supplemental personnel, the city Comelec office has become quite dependent on City Hall. David says they “don’t have a choice,” noting that the election reserve fund of the city government even pays for the salaries of the JO (job order staff) or supplementary personnel.

Much like most of its counterparts in other provinces, the Mabalacat Comelec is located within the City Hall compound — adjacent to the City Mayor’s Office.

Still, David maintains that they do not let the supplements and fund assistance from City Hall affect their work. He assures voters of Mabalacat City that the coming midterm elections will be honest, “just like what happened in the plebiscite last July 2012.”

“We don’t let ourselves be dictated upon,” he says. “We proclaim whomever the people vote for. It’s not like we would let the election process be corrupted, right?” — PCIJ

SAN CARLOS CITY, PANGASINAN

Interview and Photos by JAY D. MENDOZA

SAN CARLOS CITY is a third-class city in the province of Pangasinan. In the 2010 elections, the province recorded a voter turnout of 79.55 percent, the highest among the 10 vote-rich provinces (among which Pangasinan is third).

Currently, San Carlos City has 96,753 registered voters. These voters will be accommodated by seven Comelec staff: one election officer, two election assistants, three casuals from Comelec, and one supplemental staff from the local government unit (LGU).

Aside from voters, the city’s Comelec officers will also oversee the electoral race of 31 local candidates: four running for mayor, two for vice-mayor, and 25 for the city council.

With less than 10 employees to monitor more than 80 barangays, it is expected that work is more difficult and demanding.

At least City Election Officer Jenifer C. Balarbar says that while their office space — located on the second floor of City Hall — is small and now quite crowded, it still works for them. “The interior’s still okay,” says Balarbar. “It can still accommodate all the records, plus all the staff. We’re a bit cramped right now with the OJT (on-the-job-training) people, but generally the office is okay.”

But the office itself seems to be the only thing that Balarbar has no difficulties seeing in a positive light.

Aside from ensuring the accurate list of registered voters, regulating candidates during the campaign period is one of the hardest tasks they have since they have limited power, she says. She cites as an example the illegally placed posters of many candidates that she says were already posted all over the city before the campaign period had even officially begun. The problem, says Balarbar, is that Comelec is powerless to take down such campaign posters before the start of the campaign period.

As for the budget allocation, Balarbar notes that the Comelec central office provides them with quarterly allowance of P5,000 as petty cash for supplies, while utility bills like phone bills are reimbursed from Manila. In addition, they request for a certain amount from the LGU, and wait for the approval of the council and the mayor. “It’s the discretion of the local government officials whether they would grant our budget request or not,” she says.

But while Balarbar also says that the LGU already provides the San Carlos Comelec Office its primary needs, she says they could still do with a photocopier machine, printers, and filing cabinets. She explains in part, “We need a photocopier because there’s always someone getting a copy of VRRs (Voters Registration Record) every day. As much as possible, I would like to treat all records here confidential. It would be better if we had our own photocopying machine so the records wouldn’t have to be brought out of the office.”

She doesn’t really say if she expects that to come from the LGU or the Comelec head office. That goes as well for the additional budget she says is needed “for supplies and transportation of election officers because we do make rounds. So we would appreciate a bigger mobilization fund.”

The election officer does say, though, that while they rely on the LGU for many things, this will not compromise their independence and neutrality.

“I still maintain the Comelec’s independence, as well as my integrity and the integrity of my office,” she says. “That’s why when I request for the budget, I may declare to the mayor… as well as to the members of the Sanggunian, ‘We’re doing this with no strings attached. I’m just asking for a budget because I need it.'”

But Balarbar admits that in some areas, there are local government officials who tend to expect something in return for any budget that they release to the local Comelec. She also says that there are mayors who tend to cast an election officer in an unfavorable light if they do not get their way.

“We know of certain experiences when the election officer gets belittled,” she says, although she clarifies that in San Carlos City, she has had no such experience thus far. — PCIJ

DAGUPAN CITY, PANGASINAN

Interview and Photos by GLAMORFE L. CALICDAN

WHEN it comes to office space, Dagupan City Election Officer Ericson B. Organiza seems quite satisfied that the Comelec office here is well-ventilated and equipped with proper tables and chairs to accommodate registrants. But he notes that since it’s on the second floor of City Hall (near the offices of the Civil Registrar and Public Order and Safety), it’s not accessible to senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

That turns out to be just the start of Organiza’s litany of woes. For this election, he says he has only six election assistants from the Comelec, although the local government provided an extra seven staff. All in all, the office has 14 staff to accommodate more than 90,000 registered voters and to monitor 25 local candidates — two candidates each for mayor and vice-mayor positions, and 21 for the city council.

Organiza also says that the central office provides them P6,000 per quarter as supplies allowance, or P2,000 per month. But he says this budget is not enough to cover their monthly expenses, especially during busy working days like the registration period, where they need to provide photocopy sets of registration forms, which can really be costly. Occasionally, though, the local government unit (LGU) gives them office supplies, upon request — or as Organiza puts it, “instant request.”

More money may be coming their way, though, since he says that during previous elections, the Comelec central office allotted P20,000 to P30,000 as mobilization fund to their office.

Like other Comelec officers elsewhere, he hastens to clarify that although getting assistance from the LGU puts their office in a compromising situation, he makes it a point that they maintain their independence. There are times, though, when local officials would ask for “favors” from Comelec field personnel, he says, although he did not elaborate what those favors were. He also says that the presence of LGU-hired personnel among his staff could be viewed as being the “eyes” of the local government officials inside Comelec. Yet Organiza insists that the Comelec field staff cannot be dictated upon by local government officials.

Organiza also recalls that previous elections had brought in problems like delays in the delivery of election paraphernalia and release of honoraria for the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) and the school teachers who got lassoed in to help with the elections.

He says some teachers were infuriated especially with the delayed release of their honorarium. According to Organiza, the teachers thought the election officers had stolen their allowances and spent them for personal pleasures. — PCIJ

BATANGAS CITY

Photos and Interview by SARITA KARE-TELADO

AT FIRST glance, the staff complement of the Comelec office in Batangas City — eight permanent staff, two contractual/casual employees, and three supplemental personnel from the city government –would seem to be on a par with its counterparts in Central and Northern Luzon. But with 205,857 registered voters — the largest number of registered voters in all six cities in Luzon that the PCIJ fellows surveyed — the staff of Batangas City Comelec is expected to handle the needs of at least 48,000 more voters than each of the five other cities surveyed.

This task is made even more difficult by the fact that all 13 staff members have to do their job inside the confines of an office that is less than 40 square meters in size. As it is, the personnel’s desks are already groaning heavily under piles of documents. But the staff are bracing themselves for their version of post-election horror: even more documents that the 28 candidates vying for various elective posts in the city are required to submit.

In fact, the head of this office, City Election Officer Grollen Mar M. Liwag, makes do with a tiny cubicle separated from the rest of the office only by a low divider. From this tiny space, Liwag administers all of the city’s election-related affairs.

The narrow hallway outside the office serves as an extension of the equally narrow receiving area inside, where the city’s voters wait to be served.

Indeed, the need for a bigger office space is the most urgent problem identified by Liwag. For Liwag, the cramped office that the Comelec city office currently occupies is “too small” to contain all the records that the office possesses. It also hinders the office, he says, from “effectively serving the people.”

The Comelec office in Batangas City is located on the second floor of a building that houses other government offices within the City Hall compound.

Liwag says the Comelec head office in Manila provides Comelec Batangas City a quarterly petty cash of P6,000 for the registration period. That amount translates to only P2,000 per month.

The Batangas City government provides the local Comelec “some” office supplies, says Liwag. But this support from the city government appears to be insufficient because Liwag also says that his office needs “ample and sufficient office supplies for the whole year” from the Comelec central office. Liwag is likewise emphatic about the need for the central office to “adjust the salary grade of all the rank and file employees” because they “are really underpaid when compared to our counterparts in other government agencies.” — PCIJ

LEGAZPI CITY

Interview and Photos by AIREEN PEROL-JAYMALIN

AS IN some other cities in Luzon, the Comelec city office in Legazpi City is located within the city hall compound. This means that each of its 10 personnel, on average, would have to share some five square meters of office space with office furniture and stacks upon stacks of documents and election paraphernalia.

Thus, during times when the 55-square-meter office has to receive clients (for instance, when issuing voter’s IDs), the place becomes very cramped indeed.

The office’s six permanent staff, one casual/contractual employee, and three supplemental personnel from the local government unit (LGU) have to see to the needs of Legazpi City’s 111,254 registered voters and monitor the activities of 21 candidates running for various posts in the city.

The office receives a P6,000 quarterly budget, or P2,000 monthly for office supplies, from the Comelec head office, according to City Election Officer Jasmin Banzuela-Belarmino. This budget does not seem to cover costs to improve the facilities of the office, based on the condition of the office cabinets and desks, which are already very old, some of them broken. In fact, some of the tables being used by Banzuela-Belarmino were salvaged from pieces of furniture thrown out by other government offices as “unserviceable property.”

It wouldn’t be surprising if Banzuela-Belarmino had a litany of complaints. But she isn’t talking.

When asked what the most common problems encountered by her office are and the resources she needs from the Comelec head office, the city election officer refused to answer, saying that she is “not authorized” to do so. — PCIJ