All efforts in place to ensure safe polls amid Covid-19: Comelec

MANILA – An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday assured that they are doing all their best to ensure that the conduct of elections next year is safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“We would like to assure the good senator (Senator Francis Pangilinan) and the public that the Comelec is doing anything it can to make sure that the elections are safe. Remember the Comelec controls certain areas of the elections, particularly filing of the certificate of candidacy, the conduct of the campaigns, the conduct of the election day, and the counting and canvassing as well as the national board of canvassers,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a virtual press briefing.

Jimenez was responding to Pangilinan's statement saying if the government is not able to manage the health crisis, it could lead to a low number of voters’ participation or even a postponement of the 2022 elections.

“Ultimately, we believe it will boil down to individual responsibilities. So it is not just about the Comelec securing the elections because Comelec will secure the areas of the elections under its control.

Citing the success of the Palawan plebiscite in March, Jimenez said the orderly conduct of the election also needs the cooperation of other stakeholders, particularly candidates and their supporters.

“So it will be a whole of nation approach I think and I think it will be in everybody's best interest if we put together the idea that the elections should push through because if we let the thinking creep in that postponement is a viable alternative and we will start not to be cautious," he said.

Jimenez reiterated that there is no reason to postpone next year's polls.

"So let us not even consider that because again as far as the Comelec is concerned there is no reason to think that. I don't think I will speaking out of turn when I say that postponement of the elections is simply not in the cards. As far as the Comelec is concerned, there is no reason to postpone the elections. There might be some reason to say that we might see a set of depression in terms of voter turnout but it will not, again, conceivably lead to the suspension of the entire elections,” he added. (PNA)