Photo by Michael Hermoso – Bautista
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia has vowed not to interfere in the work of the media while upholding transparency at the poll body.
Garcia made the assurance during the “Midyang Responsableng, Mapanuring Botante” forum hosted by the Philippine Press Institute in Quezon City on April 11.
“This is the guarantee of your Commission on Elections to the members of the media. The Comelec will never, ever interfere with the contents of what you are going to say, what you are going to write. […] It is an absolute right of everyone. In fact, we’re going to help you in telling the truth,” he said.
Comelec, he pointed out, has a Viber group of about 400 journalists through which the commission relays election-related information in real time.
“Hindi pa nila tinatanong, binibigay na namin sa kanila ‘yung information, because that should really be it, that the Comelec, a government institution, must always be transparent and telling the truth,” Garcia said.
Garcia said there would be a wider dissemination of election results, as the Comelec has provided organizations like the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and the media with their own servers for counter-checking.
He guaranteed that one week after the elections, the Comelec would “immediately publish everything,” including transmission logs, audit logs, and IP addresses used in the transmission of results.
Garcia emphasized that while the Comelec acknowledges that “the survival of democracy depends on the trust of the people in the process,” there are limits to what it can do as an institution.
“Sana maunawaan ng lahat ang daming po kasi nating problema sa batas. […] Our role is merely to propose,” he said. Regner Atutubo