Local government as source of succor

IT’S A good thing that the Quezon City government seems to be responsive to the needs of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the field. After all, a majority of the Comelec district offices in Quezon City seem to be suffering from inadequate funding and supplies from the Commission's head office in Intramuros.

The poll body has six district offices in Quezon City, which has the highest population among the 16 cities and one municipality in the National Capital Region. In fact, nearly a quarter of the NCR’s population resides in Quezon City. Less than half (1,083,912 per 2013 Comelec data) of Quezon City's 2,761,720 residents (per the 2010 Census), however, are registered voters.

There used to be only four Comelec district offices in Quezon City. But because of District 2’s huge population, President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III last July signed a new law that divided the district into three. The law, Republic Act No. 10170, will be in effect in the upcoming May 13, 2013 mid-term elections.

The two new districts carved out of District 2 are now known as Districts 5 and 6. Like the four other districts in Quezon City, Districts 5 and 6 will each have to elect a district representative for Congress and six city councilors. Altogether, Quezon City's six districts will have 143 candidates running for congressional, mayoral, vice mayoral, and city council positions in the 2013 polls.

Because of the sheer size of its voting population and the number of candidates vying for various elective posts, Election Officer Enrique Santos of Comelec Quezon City District 3 says that the budget from the head office is usually insufficient and “always late.” At times thus, he finds himself reaching into his own pocket to pay for office supplies. But while Santos concedes that he can have the expenses reimbursed by the Comelec head office, he says he sometimes does not even bother because the reimbursement process takes too long.

Office space okay

The Quezon City government seems to make up for the shortcomings of the Comelec head office, though. At the very least, office space is not an issue with the Comelec district offices all between 100 square meters and 300 square meters in size.

Comelec officers also say that the city government provides them with a lot of what they need, such as office supplies, furniture, and equipment. For instance, each of the six Comelec district offices has a television set and air-conditioning units. The city government also provides them much-needed services to make their work easier, such as office renovation and transportation. In fact, during the interviews for this story, the offices of Quezon City Comelec’s Districts 5 and 6 were being renovated and furnished.

All six Comelec offices in Quezon City are located inside the City Hall compound, behind the Hall of Justice. The offices of Districts 1 and 3 stand across Districts 5 and 6. The offices of Districts 2 and 4, meanwhile, are housed in another building, just a stone’s throw away from those of the four other districts.

District 2 Election Officer Shiela Rojas-Rafanan even says that the support provided by the city government to the local Comelec is "above average." She says, however, that she asks the city government for office supplies only when these are "badly needed." District 1 Election Officer Jovencio Balanguit, meanwhile, says that aside from office supplies, the Quezon City government also gives them an "allowance."

The LGU has proven generous as well when it comes to providing workspace for the Comelec field offices. By Quezon City standards, the District 1 office is already among the smallest at 100 square meters. It houses quite comfortably the office's 21 staff members — six of them permanent, 10 election casuals hired for the election period, and five supplementary personnel from the local government unit (LGU) — who will serve 186,535 voters from District 1's 37 barangays.

Staff concerns

District 1’s Balanguit seems to have no complaints about the size of his workforce. Not so Rojas-Rafanan of District 2. Being the largest district in Quezon City with 234,540 voters coming from only five barangays, Rojas-Rafanan says her 38-member team is still undermanned to address all the needs of the constituents, especially during election season. It’s cold comfort for her that District 2's four permanent staff, 22 election casuals, and 12 supplementary personnel occupy a 300-square meter office, one of the biggest among the six Comelec district offices in Quezon City.

"It's really hard for us," she says. "Everyone is multi-tasking.” Four of those barangays (Commonwealth, Batasan Hills, Payatas, and Holy Spirit) are on the National Statistics Office's seven most populous barangays in the NCR.

District 6 Acting Election Officer Enriqueta Danieles shares Rojas-Rafanan’s staff concerns. “As a new district here in Quezon City," she says, "everyone in the office must multi-task to finish our work.” Occupying an office space of some 150 square meters, District 6 has nine election assistants, six election casuals, and staff from the LGU undergoing on-the-job training. They must see to the needs of the district's 158,864 voters spread across 11 barangays.

The rest of the Comelec officers say that their manpower is adequate. They say they usually need additional personnel only during election season.

District 5 election staff Jerome Tipon also seems to be satisfied with the support that his office gets from the Comelec head office — unlike the Comelec personnel in the city’s other districts. Tipon says the head office, just like the LGU, never fails to provide for his office's needs such as office supplies, furniture, and transportation whenever these are requested. This is despite the fact that District 5, whose 17 personnel will be administering 192,921 voters across 14 barangays, is a new district, Tipon adds.

His observation is shared by District 4 Election Assistant Rene Simeon, who says that the Comelec head office, just like the LGU, is "very supportive" of them. Like District 2, District 4 occupies one of the largest office spaces among the six districts. Its 300-square-meter office houses 15 staff members, five of them permanent personnel and 10 casual. They must see to the needs of 180,979 across 38 barangays.

With only 130,263 registered voters spread out across 37 barangays, District 3 is the smallest district in Quezon City. Despite this, District 3 still counts 20 staff members, five of them election assistants, 11 election casuals, and four supplementary personnel from the LGU. They are housed in the District's 150-square-meter office. — PCIJ, May 2013