What is happening in the political scene, given that the national elections is so close, is suspicious and is raising many questions that the Commission on Elections must answer and clear up.
After two postponements, the Comelec has finally decided to start printing the ballots that will be used for the May 9, elections. This could only mean that the powers-that-be must have already made a decision and has given the poll body the green light to print the ballots. Time, after all, is running out and Chairman Andres Bautista is also running out of reasons why the printing is always being postponed. And as if on cue, the Supreme Court also completed oral arguments on the Poe disqualification case. It had taken three sessions when one would have been enough. All these seem to be part of a grand plan.
I watched part of the Senate hearing last Tuesday about the integrity of the May election. Once again, the right questions were not being asked. One of the source code reviewers even praised Smartmatic, which was shocking. The assurances of Smartmatic and its partner, the Comelec, do not amount to anything. Electronic manipulation can still happen. It only takes a good programmer to do it.
Besides, the question that should be asked is this: Who supervises the insertion of the flashcards inside the PCOS machines? Can those people be trusted? One of the source code reviewers however, raised a valid point in that the source code that they are reviewing may be different from the one deposited in the Central Bank. Remember that there are already two source codes that have been deposited—and why is Comelec and Smartmatic refusing to allow the review of the entire source code?
Perhaps the answer lies in what one election lawyer said. This election lawyer knows the inner workings of the Comelec and more importantly was privy to what happened in the 2010 elections. He said that the Comelec and Smartmatic cannot be trusted to deliver an election free of electronic manipulation. Even with all the security features being brought back, manipulation can still take place. The answers given by the Comelec and Smartmatic were not accurate and they know it. But for the life of me, why do we allow foreigners to run our elections?
With their reputations, are we right to assume that Smartmatic and the Comelec are partners in crime?
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For the first time in its 30-year history, the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were invited by United States President Barak Obama to a summit in the state of California. There are several reasons for this. Asean is one of the most dynamic regions in the planet. The region’s economic growth has consistently outperformed other regions. It has a population of more than 600 million—about ten percent of the world’s population whose middle class is increasing fast.
Asean is also the fourth largest trading partner of the US. Most important of all, the geography of the region being so close to China is of strategic importance to the United States. In earlier times, the US would probably not have bothered with this invitation, but times have changed. China, that giant of a country near us, is flexing its muscles to the discomfort not only of the US but also the countries of Asean. The US has come to the realization that to deal with the growing assertiveness of China, it needs a united Asean on its side. Whether this summit leads to greater cooperation and deeper engagement on the part of the US remains to be seen.
Since the pivot-to-Asia doctrine enunciated by President Barack Obama, this summit has been the first concrete step to show its seriousness. Transferring military assets from Europe to the Pacific has been symbolic at best and does not change anything on the ground. What is important in the view of Asean is a firm commitment by the United States to stay engaged in the region on a long term basis. What Asean does not like is an engagement that will change every time the US administration changes. Nonetheless, that it happened at all with a lot of fanfare is significant. But the US has to go a lot further. The 10 member-nations are not after all united in their view of what is going on in the region. Besides, China is not sleeping while the US is flexing its enormous and considerable diplomatic influence. China, too, can flex its own muscles economically, diplomatically and militarily. It also has the advantage of geographical proximity. Already, it has poured considerable economic aid and is deepening its relationship with Thailand. This is partly due to the current strained relationship between Bangkok and Washington. Cambodia also has always sided with China in past Asean meetings refusing to sign joint communiqués.
Nevertheless, there is growing concern with regard to the strategic objective of China in the region. It has claimed most of the South China Sea as its own and in spite of its assertion that the artificial islands that it created are for civilian purposes, militarization is not far behind. If this happens, every country in Asean will come under threat by Chinese fighter planes.
This is one big reason why every Asean member must be concerned. Vietnam, a communist brethren of China, is moving closer to the US and President Obama will visit the country in May. Naval and air patrols in the South China Sea by the US are not enough. These two activities do not change anything on the ground. The artificial islands are still occupied by China.