Smartmatic "harassed" by NPA
By Marie A. Surbano
The Daily Tribune – www.tribune.net.ph
Friday, January 15, 2010
Smartmatic has come up with yet another excuse for its delay in surveying transmission signals: The communist New People’s Army (NPA).
The consortium’s officials yesterday claimed that their group is being harassed by the NPA rebels and this has been hampering their preparations for the 2010 automated elections.
Apart from the security threats, transportation was cited as another reason for the delays in the completion of the site survey being conducted by the consortium of Smartmatic Corp., and Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) to determine which areas in the country have no access or connectivity for the upcoming May 2010 elections.
Gene Gregorio, Smartmatic spokesman yesterday said that while they have completed 93 percent of the site survey nationwide, there are still 7 percent of the sites that have not been surveyed due to security issues and travel arrangement.
“We are happy to report that the site survey overall has been completed 93 percent,” he said.
Gregorio bared that their surveyors are experiencing difficulties in completing the site survey in Quezon, Bicol and Masbate provinces due to the threats they have received from the NPA rebels.
He said in Masbate and Quezon provinces, the rebels have been extorting money from their site surveyors.
Gregorio said that in NPA infested areas, they have been receiving feelers, although he added that these reports from the field are yet to be verified.
“They (rebels) have been sending feelers that we should do like what candidates do. They tell us we should cooperate,” he said.
During election season, the NPA rebels, as part of their imposition of “revolutionary taxes” impose on candidates who campaign in the areas the NPA rebels control, or a permit tax.
More often than not, the candidates fork out the so-called permit tax to campaign in their areas.
Aside from Southern Luzon, Gregorio said some areas in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), in particular Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat, are included in the problematic areas.
“There are certain areas in ARMM due to security reasons we might have to require assistance from the Comelec,” he said.
But he said that in the case of Maguindanao, the Smartmatic group has completed 75 percent of the site survey, adding that the decision of placing the province in a state of emergency also helps them to complete their survey.
Gregorio also noted that the issue on travel arrangements is another factor that has caused delays in the conduct of the site survey since there are also problems encountered in getting transportation arrangements by land, sea and air.
Originally, the site survey was supposed to be completed in one month from September to October but it took them four months to finish it.
Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, for his part, directed the Smartmatic group to provide the poll body with the list of problematic areas for the deployment of police and military personnel.
“We informed Smartmatic-TIM that if they have problems with security, tell us so that we can tell the Philippine National Police to provide them with security,” he said.
“We already asked Smartmatic to give us the list of those areas. We are still waiting for that list,” added Larrazabal.
Gregorio said they expect the site survey to be fully completed Wednesday next week and the results will be submitted to the Project Management Office (PMO).
Meanwhile, Gregorio said that the total number of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines delivered to the Comelec was placed at 25,720 and this includes the 7,320 delivered last December.
Gregorio said about 4,800 PCOS are arriving next week.
A total of 38,000 PCOS machines have been out of the China factory, added Gregorio and the remaining 42,200 machines are expected to be completed and shipped to the country by the end of this month.
The site survey is being conducted to identify if the areas have cellular phone signals since the results of the elections will be electronically transmitted using the facilities and technology of telecommunications companies.
Soldier dies in ambush
By Sonny Sales
People’s Journal – www.journal.com.ph
Friday, January 15, 2010
LEGAZPI City – An Army soldier died while another was wounded in an ambush in Camalig, Albay Wednesday, the Army’s 9th Infantry Division based in Kuta Elias Angeles, Pili, Camarines Sur, said.
9th ID spokesman Maj. Harold Cabunoc identified the fatality as Pfc. Michael Sarsa. Critically wounded was Private First Class Malanngay.
Cabunoc said the motorcycle-riding soldiers were unarmed when ambushed by some 10 NPA rebels on their way to the 2nd Infantry Battalion in Barangay Maninila.
He said the soldiers were assigned in disaster response operation for Mt. Mayon in the remaining evacuation centers.
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