Light at end of Philippines election tunnel

Counting ballots in the Philippines is a long, laborious process

By CNN's Hope Ngo in Hong Kong

MANILA, Philippines (CNN) -- The Philippine Commission on Elections says it expects to finish counting ballots cast during elections held in congressional and local elections in three or four days.

But Commissioner Rex Borra said that the self-imposed deadline can only be met if all the certificates of canvas from the country's different regions.

A certificate of canvas is the official document that specifies the official number of votes each candidate has obtained in a district.

"If our rate is 15 per day, [we can finish counting] in two days time. But there are still some certificates that are missing, and they must be submitted by tomorrow (Friday) or Saturday if we are to finish within 3-4 day's time," Borra told CNN.

While about 70 percent of the votes cast on May 14 have already been counted, Borra said it was still too early to tell whether a trend had been set.

"There is a sizeable number of votes in Mindanao (Southern Philippines), more than five million," he said. "That's sizeable enough to affect the standing of any candidates."

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's People Power Coalition is currently leading the nationwide senatorial elections with eight seats.

Former leader Joseph Estrada's political organization has four seats, but the top slot is being held by an independent.

The Commission was plagued with accusations of incompetence after the May 14 congressional and local elections.

Unofficial count

Hundreds were unable to cast their ballots because they were unable to find their names on official voters' lists.

The unofficial quick count conducted by the private National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) was delayed because it was unable to obtain clear copies of election returns.

The commission itself had to delay its official count, because it had only a handful of certificates of canvas to process each day.

Borra says the problems were caused by political divisions in what should have been a non-partisan body.

"When three new commissioners (including chairman Alfredo Benipayo) assumed office during the third week of February, there was not much preparation for the May 14 elections," Borra said.

"It was only after we (the three commissioners) arrived that the [commission] was able to secure the release of the 5 million peso (USD 100,000) initial budget for the elections. We started the bidding and the procurement of election supplies."

Borra also said infighting between the four commissioners appointed by former President Estrada and the three brought in by President Arroyo paralyzed the body.

The armed forces were enlisted to help keep the peace during the May 14 polls

"We had to go back to the 1998 voters list. We were not able to carry out new voters registrations," he said.

The body was even unable to use the computers procured by the election commission and used in the 1996 and 1998 elections.

"We went a step backward in these elections," Borra admitted.

The commissioner said his body was committed to carrying out an evaluation and assessment of its performance during this year's polls.

It will be getting some input from the Philippine Senate which, when it convenes, has promised to give them a proposal on how to modernize the country's archaic manual counting and tabulation system.

"We will find a way, we will definitely be espousing electoral reform," Borra said.