Commission on Elections Chairman Jose A. R. Melo has chided Senator Francis Escudero for the senator’s morbid fear of a possible computer malfunction during the 2010 elections, saying it is very much like the apprehension and misgivings of a first-time plane passenger.

Usually, the Comelec official said, even at this modern age people who are taking a long trip by plane for the first time are apprehensive over the eventuality of an engine trouble – and a plane crash, especially during stormy weather.

The correlation is apt, if I may say so, but it must be said also that in due course, they are able to conquer their fears, knowing that all these conveniences that we enjoy today are a part of what we call modern living.

We cannot escape them.

And so with the computerization of the voting process because of the positive rationale it offers to advance the democratization measure and intent.

It has been a need which we have long procrastinated, probably unconsciously, because of our personal pride in actually writing the names in the ballot of those we choose to govern us for a period of time.

You see, in voting – consciously or not – we attach our personal sentiments.

Simply pressing the buttons in the case of computerized voting is too impersonal that smacks of disinterestedness and detachment and totally lacks any sense of citizen involvement and participation.

It is recalled that early on Senator Escudero already registered his pessimism over poll automation when he questioned the then proposed negotiated contract following the reported disqualification of the bidders for the P11.3-billion election automation program.

It was “not necessarily considered the cheapest, the best, and most responsible offer,” he interposed, adding that there was “obviously less transparency in the process.”

To demonstrate his seriousness in stopping the computerization of election processes, the senator sought the investigation of the winning bidder Smartmatic whose background, he said, needs to be looked into to ascertain that it would not cause failure of the 2010 elections.

“The 2010 elections,” Escudero said, “are too sensitive for us to entrust to a company that was organized in Barbados,” which he called a tax haven.

As these issues are being discussed, we learned from the Foreign Affairs Department that some 70,371 overseas absentee voters have already registered in Philippine Embassies, Missions, Consulates and Offices in various parts of the world as of last May.

The registrants are mostly from Asia and the Pacific, the United States, Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

The overseas absentee voting secretariat is expecting a huge increase in the number of OAV registrants in the next coming months, the DFA announcement said.

Well, from what we gathered the computerization contract between the Commission on Elections and the consortium of Smartmatic International and Total Information Management Corp. is ready anytime this week for signing by the parties.

Signing for the Comelec is Chairman Jose A. R. Melo and for Smartmatic and Total Information Management Corp., Lamberto Lorenzo and Juan Villa.

The government approved budget for the computerization program was P11,223,618,400 but was cut down to P7,191,484,739.47 per bid of Smartmatic and Total Information Management Corp.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has repeatedly said that the computerization of both national and local elections is one of the “most enduring legacies” that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would want to put in place before she leaves office at the end of her term in 2010.

(zhern_218@yahoo.com)