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November 23, 2000, The Philippine Star, Failure of elections feared if Congress fails to OK budget, by Sandy Araneta,

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November 23, 2000, The Philippine Star, Failure of elections feared if Congress fails to OK budget, by Sandy Araneta, 

Imagine, by June 2001, only 12 senators will be working in the Senate and no congressman will be holding office. This was the grim scenario painted yesterday by Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson Harriet Demetriou who expressed fear that there might be a "failure of elections" if Congress fails to fast-track the budgetary requirements for next year's local and national elections. 

To date, Demetriou said the poll body has only P7 million in its coffers. The Comelec has a budget deficit of P2.16 billion. "I will hold Congress responsible for the failure of elections during the May 14, 2001 electoral  process," warned Demetriou during the Comelec's weekly press conference. 
  
"We will not only have a constitutional crisis, but more importantly, a democratic crisis as well," she said. She added: "Congress is to blame, not the Comelec. Congress will have to answer for this, not Comelec." She gave Congress until Jan. 3, 2001 to fast-track the budget. 

Demetriou said that based on the Constitution, an incumbent cannot extend his term no matter what the reasons may be. A politician, whose term ends in June 2001, will be deemed resigned after his term, whether or not there would be an election. "There could be some problems in conducting peaceful, honest, orderly and clean elections," she said. 

"If Congress and the executive branch want to see impartial and competent election officers overseeing the installation and operation of a modernized electoral system with clean database and speedy counting and consolidation of votes such that the winners will be known within 24 hours after the closing of the polls, the commission places the minimum budgetary requirement at P5.9 billion," she added. 

The Comelec, Demetriou said, has a P220-million budget for the year 2000, but the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has not even released a single centavo as of yesterday. The alloted amount is only for continuing appropriations for preparations for the 2001 national and local elections. Demetriou said that budget cannot be used for the polls. 
  
She said the commission needs at least P2.45 billion for the election process only, excluding the modernization projects. The modernization projects include the Voters Registration and Identification System (VRIS) and the Automated Counting and Consolidation of Results System (ACCORS). 
  
Fearing that Congress and the executive branch may have overlooked the required logistics for next year's elections, Demetriou called on the DBM to immediately release the funds for the preparatory activities. Of the P2.8- billion allotment released, only P1.2 billion was actually issued a cash allocation. Some P1.6 billion is not yet backed up by a cash allocation. 
  
Foremost of those adversely affected by the delay in the release of the Notice of Cash Allotment (NCA) are the salaries of casuals and the modernization program, she said.

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