Category: Campaign Finance

‘FOI deserves high priority’

mcmangahas Leave a comment

THE House of Representatives should not waste a day longer and act with dispatch on the Freedom of Information bill.

In fact, what the House needs to do at this time, with Congress set to go on recess on June 4, is to put the FOI bill on top priority, according to the Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition of about 160 civil society organizations and leaders.

High prioritization of the FOI bill could mean a few, easy things that President Aquino, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., and other House leaders could do — “a high-level meeting, a phone call, adoption of a clear timetable, clearing-up of hold-ups and delays, mention at the State of the Nation Address, the President certifying to the necessity of immediate enactment, and ultimately, the House leadership putting the bill on the plenary agenda and mobilizing key legislators to move the process forward.”

What follows is the full text of the Coalition’s statement:

FOI Losing Time, High
Prioritization Essential

COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION Chairperson Jorge T. Almonte and House FOI champions and authors were scheduled to file the Committee Report on the FOI Bill with the Secretary General of the House of Representative last Wednesday, May 20, at 3:30 pm.

However, at around 2 pm, Chair Almonte felt compelled to postpone the event, anticipating that the final vote on the BBL happening that afternoon will take longer than earlier expected. He was set to vote on the BBL, along with a number of FOI authors who are members, ex-officio members, or deputized members of the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

We hope that the postponed filing of the Committee Report on the FOI Bill will happen at the soonest. The filing of the report is significant. It marks the shift of the FOI Bill from the committee level to the even more challenging work at the plenary level.

In spite of the advance of the FOI bill signified by the filing of the Committee Report, we lost important time. The last three weeks since the resumption of session on May 4, and early next week when the BBL goes through approval by the Committee on Appropriations, would have been an opportunity to start sponsorship and interpellation of the FOI bill in plenary.

The Need for High Prioritization

This brings to light the importance of a measure being given high prioritization by the leadership of Congress and by the President. The impact of high prioritization on how a measure moves in Congress, particularly for major, controversial or resisted bills like FOI, is all too clear. We saw it in RH, in Sin Tax, and now in BBL.

We attest to the hard work at the committee level of Chair Almonte, FOI authors and champion legislators and their staff, as well as of the advocates in getting the bill through the committee process. We attest to the responsiveness of the Committee on Appropriations and its Chairperson, Rep. Isidro Ungab, in the prompt approval of the appropriations provision of the bill. We also attest to the committed and untiring support from the staff of the committee secretariat. (See legislative history of the FOI bill at the committee level in 16th Congress below).

However, this is where high prioritization spells the difference. To be sure certain steps could have been speeded up if the passage of FOI is given high priority, similar to the bills we mentioned earlier.

Especially at this critical juncture when we approach the third and final regular session in a Presidential election year, the FOI bill cannot be just one of numerous priorities. It will take a very high level of prioritization and leadership if it is to finally pass.

By observation, we are all familiar with the many mechanisms by which a high level of prioritization is conveyed: a high-level meeting, a phone call, adoption of a clear timetable, clearing-up of hold-ups and delays, mention at the State of the Nation Address, the President certifying to the necessity of immediate enactment, and ultimately, the House leadership putting the bill on the plenary agenda and mobilizing key legislators to move the process forward.

The coalition sees it as a challenge for itself and concerned citizens to demonstrate a compelling strength to move our leaders to place the passage of the FOI Bill high in their priorities, as much as we see it as a matter of accountability and question of leadership for the highest leaders of this country.

FOI Tracker Rating Drops

In our FOI Tracker # 1 assessing Congress action on FOI, we said that the bill was well positioned for passage, and in the Green Zone with a rating of 85.

With the delay and anticipating that the BBL will reach plenary given its prioritization, our appeal for the completion of sponsorship and start of interpellation before the June 11 adjournment has turned difficult. Given this, the rating drops by 20 points to 65, and moves to the Yellow Zone. The FOI Tracker may be viewed at http://www.i-foi.org

Legislative History of the FOI Bill at the Committee Level in the 16th Congress

October 23, 2013, Committee organizational meeting, where a motion to create a Technical Working Group (TWG) to consolidate the FOI bills was approved

November 26, 2013,The TWG was constituted

February 6, 2014, TWG Meeting # 1

February 18, 2014, TWG Meeting # 2

March 10, 2014, TWG Meeting # 3

May 12, 2014, TWG Meeting # 4

May 19, 2014, TWG Meeting # 5

May 28, 2014, TWG Meeting # 6

June 9, 2014, TWG Meeting # 7

August 4, 2014, TWG Meeting # 8

September 2, 2014, TWG Meeting # 9, Approval of Substitute Bill

November 24, 2014, Committee Approval of the Substitute Bill
Voting: Nine (9) Yes: Reps. Abad, Aglipay-Villar, Baguilat, Bataoil, Bello, Dalog, Ferriol-Pascual, Gutierrez, Lobregat, Paquiz; Three (3) No: Reps. Colmenares, Romualdo, Tinio

November 25, 2014, Referral to the Committee on Appropriations for approval of the appropriations provision of the Substitute Bill

March 4, 2015, Approval of the appropriations provision, with amendment, by the Committee on Appropriations

March 24, 2015, Certification of Committee on Appropriations action received by the Committee on Public Information

May 14, 2015, Committee Secretariat receives back the documentation of the Committee Report from the 4-step administrative approval by the Committee Affairs Department of the House Secretariat, through the Service Director, Deputy Executive Director, Executive Director and the Deputy Secretary General for Committee Affairs

May 19, 2015, Committee Report signed by Rep. Isidro Ungab on the part of the Committee on Appropriations. Rep. Jorge Almonte, FOI authors and champions agree to a group filing of the Committee Report on May 20, 2015 at 3:30 pm, upon signing of the committee report by Rep. Jorge Almonte on the part of the Committee on Public Information

May 20, 2015, Scheduled group filing of the Committee Report with the Secretary General postponed.

‘FOI deserves high priority’

mcmangahas Leave a comment

THE House of Representatives should not waste a day longer and act with dispatch on the Freedom of Information bill.

In fact, what the House needs to do at this time, with Congress set to go on recess on June 4, is to put the FOI bill on top priority, according to the Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition of about 160 civil society organizations and leaders.

High prioritization of the FOI bill could mean a few, easy things that President Aquino, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., and other House leaders could do — “a high-level meeting, a phone call, adoption of a clear timetable, clearing-up of hold-ups and delays, mention at the State of the Nation Address, the President certifying to the necessity of immediate enactment, and ultimately, the House leadership putting the bill on the plenary agenda and mobilizing key legislators to move the process forward.”

What follows is the full text of the Coalition’s statement:

FOI Losing Time, High
Prioritization Essential

COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION Chairperson Jorge T. Almonte and House FOI champions and authors were scheduled to file the Committee Report on the FOI Bill with the Secretary General of the House of Representative last Wednesday, May 20, at 3:30 pm.

However, at around 2 pm, Chair Almonte felt compelled to postpone the event, anticipating that the final vote on the BBL happening that afternoon will take longer than earlier expected. He was set to vote on the BBL, along with a number of FOI authors who are members, ex-officio members, or deputized members of the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

We hope that the postponed filing of the Committee Report on the FOI Bill will happen at the soonest. The filing of the report is significant. It marks the shift of the FOI Bill from the committee level to the even more challenging work at the plenary level.

In spite of the advance of the FOI bill signified by the filing of the Committee Report, we lost important time. The last three weeks since the resumption of session on May 4, and early next week when the BBL goes through approval by the Committee on Appropriations, would have been an opportunity to start sponsorship and interpellation of the FOI bill in plenary.

The Need for High Prioritization

This brings to light the importance of a measure being given high prioritization by the leadership of Congress and by the President. The impact of high prioritization on how a measure moves in Congress, particularly for major, controversial or resisted bills like FOI, is all too clear. We saw it in RH, in Sin Tax, and now in BBL.

We attest to the hard work at the committee level of Chair Almonte, FOI authors and champion legislators and their staff, as well as of the advocates in getting the bill through the committee process. We attest to the responsiveness of the Committee on Appropriations and its Chairperson, Rep. Isidro Ungab, in the prompt approval of the appropriations provision of the bill. We also attest to the committed and untiring support from the staff of the committee secretariat. (See legislative history of the FOI bill at the committee level in 16th Congress below).

However, this is where high prioritization spells the difference. To be sure certain steps could have been speeded up if the passage of FOI is given high priority, similar to the bills we mentioned earlier.

Especially at this critical juncture when we approach the third and final regular session in a Presidential election year, the FOI bill cannot be just one of numerous priorities. It will take a very high level of prioritization and leadership if it is to finally pass.

By observation, we are all familiar with the many mechanisms by which a high level of prioritization is conveyed: a high-level meeting, a phone call, adoption of a clear timetable, clearing-up of hold-ups and delays, mention at the State of the Nation Address, the President certifying to the necessity of immediate enactment, and ultimately, the House leadership putting the bill on the plenary agenda and mobilizing key legislators to move the process forward.

The coalition sees it as a challenge for itself and concerned citizens to demonstrate a compelling strength to move our leaders to place the passage of the FOI Bill high in their priorities, as much as we see it as a matter of accountability and question of leadership for the highest leaders of this country.

FOI Tracker Rating Drops

In our FOI Tracker # 1 assessing Congress action on FOI, we said that the bill was well positioned for passage, and in the Green Zone with a rating of 85.

With the delay and anticipating that the BBL will reach plenary given its prioritization, our appeal for the completion of sponsorship and start of interpellation before the June 11 adjournment has turned difficult. Given this, the rating drops by 20 points to 65, and moves to the Yellow Zone. The FOI Tracker may be viewed at http://www.i-foi.org

Legislative History of the FOI Bill at the Committee Level in the 16th Congress

October 23, 2013, Committee organizational meeting, where a motion to create a Technical Working Group (TWG) to consolidate the FOI bills was approved

November 26, 2013,The TWG was constituted

February 6, 2014, TWG Meeting # 1

February 18, 2014, TWG Meeting # 2

March 10, 2014, TWG Meeting # 3

May 12, 2014, TWG Meeting # 4

May 19, 2014, TWG Meeting # 5

May 28, 2014, TWG Meeting # 6

June 9, 2014, TWG Meeting # 7

August 4, 2014, TWG Meeting # 8

September 2, 2014, TWG Meeting # 9, Approval of Substitute Bill

November 24, 2014, Committee Approval of the Substitute Bill
Voting: Nine (9) Yes: Reps. Abad, Aglipay-Villar, Baguilat, Bataoil, Bello, Dalog, Ferriol-Pascual, Gutierrez, Lobregat, Paquiz; Three (3) No: Reps. Colmenares, Romualdo, Tinio

November 25, 2014, Referral to the Committee on Appropriations for approval of the appropriations provision of the Substitute Bill

March 4, 2015, Approval of the appropriations provision, with amendment, by the Committee on Appropriations

March 24, 2015, Certification of Committee on Appropriations action received by the Committee on Public Information

May 14, 2015, Committee Secretariat receives back the documentation of the Committee Report from the 4-step administrative approval by the Committee Affairs Department of the House Secretariat, through the Service Director, Deputy Executive Director, Executive Director and the Deputy Secretary General for Committee Affairs

May 19, 2015, Committee Report signed by Rep. Isidro Ungab on the part of the Committee on Appropriations. Rep. Jorge Almonte, FOI authors and champions agree to a group filing of the Committee Report on May 20, 2015 at 3:30 pm, upon signing of the committee report by Rep. Jorge Almonte on the part of the Committee on Public Information

May 20, 2015, Scheduled group filing of the Committee Report with the Secretary General postponed.

‘FOI deserves high priority’

mcmangahas Leave a comment

THE House of Representatives should not waste a day longer and act with dispatch on the Freedom of Information bill.

In fact, what the House needs to do at this time, with Congress set to go on recess on June 4, is to put the FOI bill on top priority, according to the Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition of about 160 civil society organizations and leaders.

High prioritization of the FOI bill could mean a few, easy things that President Aquino, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., and other House leaders could do — “a high-level meeting, a phone call, adoption of a clear timetable, clearing-up of hold-ups and delays, mention at the State of the Nation Address, the President certifying to the necessity of immediate enactment, and ultimately, the House leadership putting the bill on the plenary agenda and mobilizing key legislators to move the process forward.”

What follows is the full text of the Coalition’s statement:

FOI Losing Time, High
Prioritization Essential

COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION Chairperson Jorge T. Almonte and House FOI champions and authors were scheduled to file the Committee Report on the FOI Bill with the Secretary General of the House of Representative last Wednesday, May 20, at 3:30 pm.

However, at around 2 pm, Chair Almonte felt compelled to postpone the event, anticipating that the final vote on the BBL happening that afternoon will take longer than earlier expected. He was set to vote on the BBL, along with a number of FOI authors who are members, ex-officio members, or deputized members of the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

We hope that the postponed filing of the Committee Report on the FOI Bill will happen at the soonest. The filing of the report is significant. It marks the shift of the FOI Bill from the committee level to the even more challenging work at the plenary level.

In spite of the advance of the FOI bill signified by the filing of the Committee Report, we lost important time. The last three weeks since the resumption of session on May 4, and early next week when the BBL goes through approval by the Committee on Appropriations, would have been an opportunity to start sponsorship and interpellation of the FOI bill in plenary.

The Need for High Prioritization

This brings to light the importance of a measure being given high prioritization by the leadership of Congress and by the President. The impact of high prioritization on how a measure moves in Congress, particularly for major, controversial or resisted bills like FOI, is all too clear. We saw it in RH, in Sin Tax, and now in BBL.

We attest to the hard work at the committee level of Chair Almonte, FOI authors and champion legislators and their staff, as well as of the advocates in getting the bill through the committee process. We attest to the responsiveness of the Committee on Appropriations and its Chairperson, Rep. Isidro Ungab, in the prompt approval of the appropriations provision of the bill. We also attest to the committed and untiring support from the staff of the committee secretariat. (See legislative history of the FOI bill at the committee level in 16th Congress below).

However, this is where high prioritization spells the difference. To be sure certain steps could have been speeded up if the passage of FOI is given high priority, similar to the bills we mentioned earlier.

Especially at this critical juncture when we approach the third and final regular session in a Presidential election year, the FOI bill cannot be just one of numerous priorities. It will take a very high level of prioritization and leadership if it is to finally pass.

By observation, we are all familiar with the many mechanisms by which a high level of prioritization is conveyed: a high-level meeting, a phone call, adoption of a clear timetable, clearing-up of hold-ups and delays, mention at the State of the Nation Address, the President certifying to the necessity of immediate enactment, and ultimately, the House leadership putting the bill on the plenary agenda and mobilizing key legislators to move the process forward.

The coalition sees it as a challenge for itself and concerned citizens to demonstrate a compelling strength to move our leaders to place the passage of the FOI Bill high in their priorities, as much as we see it as a matter of accountability and question of leadership for the highest leaders of this country.

FOI Tracker Rating Drops

In our FOI Tracker # 1 assessing Congress action on FOI, we said that the bill was well positioned for passage, and in the Green Zone with a rating of 85.

With the delay and anticipating that the BBL will reach plenary given its prioritization, our appeal for the completion of sponsorship and start of interpellation before the June 11 adjournment has turned difficult. Given this, the rating drops by 20 points to 65, and moves to the Yellow Zone. The FOI Tracker may be viewed at http://www.i-foi.org

Legislative History of the FOI Bill at the Committee Level in the 16th Congress

October 23, 2013, Committee organizational meeting, where a motion to create a Technical Working Group (TWG) to consolidate the FOI bills was approved

November 26, 2013,The TWG was constituted

February 6, 2014, TWG Meeting # 1

February 18, 2014, TWG Meeting # 2

March 10, 2014, TWG Meeting # 3

May 12, 2014, TWG Meeting # 4

May 19, 2014, TWG Meeting # 5

May 28, 2014, TWG Meeting # 6

June 9, 2014, TWG Meeting # 7

August 4, 2014, TWG Meeting # 8

September 2, 2014, TWG Meeting # 9, Approval of Substitute Bill

November 24, 2014, Committee Approval of the Substitute Bill
Voting: Nine (9) Yes: Reps. Abad, Aglipay-Villar, Baguilat, Bataoil, Bello, Dalog, Ferriol-Pascual, Gutierrez, Lobregat, Paquiz; Three (3) No: Reps. Colmenares, Romualdo, Tinio

November 25, 2014, Referral to the Committee on Appropriations for approval of the appropriations provision of the Substitute Bill

March 4, 2015, Approval of the appropriations provision, with amendment, by the Committee on Appropriations

March 24, 2015, Certification of Committee on Appropriations action received by the Committee on Public Information

May 14, 2015, Committee Secretariat receives back the documentation of the Committee Report from the 4-step administrative approval by the Committee Affairs Department of the House Secretariat, through the Service Director, Deputy Executive Director, Executive Director and the Deputy Secretary General for Committee Affairs

May 19, 2015, Committee Report signed by Rep. Isidro Ungab on the part of the Committee on Appropriations. Rep. Jorge Almonte, FOI authors and champions agree to a group filing of the Committee Report on May 20, 2015 at 3:30 pm, upon signing of the committee report by Rep. Jorge Almonte on the part of the Committee on Public Information

May 20, 2015, Scheduled group filing of the Committee Report with the Secretary General postponed.

Coalition prods Congress: Pass FOI before EDSA’s 30th

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THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION Act is on the cusp of passage into law, if only the House of Representatives will work with a little more speed and focus on the bill in the next nine months.

Should that happen, an FOI law might well be the best Christmas gift that the 16th Congress and the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III could offer the citizens.

In a statement issued today, May 12, the Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition of over 160 civil society organizations and leaders urged Congress to rush action on the FOI bill, and assure its passage into law by February 2016.

The Coalition said an FOI law could serve as “the perpetual pillar and legacy of the democracy that Filipinos claimed and restored under the leadership of Aquino’s late mother, Corazon ‘Cory’ Aquino.”

Next year, the nation will mark the 30th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolt.

Already 103 countries worldwide with combined population of 5.8 billion have adopted FOI and access to information laws, starting with Sweden in 1776 and ending with Mozambique in 2014.

Will the Philippines have its FOI law soon, much later, or never at all? That is the big challenge to President Aquino and the 16th Congress before they bow out of office in June 2016, the Coalition said.

Members of the Coalition have been campaigning for an FOI law over the last 14 years, or since the 12th Congress and three presidents ago.

To monitor the status of the FOI bill in the House and the Senate, according to its reasonable timetable, the Coalition has launched a project, “Congress Action on FOI Tracker.”

The FOI Tracker will provide the public with timely and regular updates on the status of the FOI Bill, including a periodic assessment of the lawmakers’ action on the passage of the bill, based on the substantive quality and integrity of their work, according to the Coalition’s timetable.

While the FOI law is well positioned for passage, it still teeters between birth and death, should the leaders and members of the House fail in their task, according to the Right to Know Coalition.

It said a few good things must happen for the FOI bill to become a fulfilled promise and solid legacy of the Aquino administration:

* The House Committee’s consolidated version of the bill must be sponsored in plenary, and interpellation and debate substantially started between now and June 11, when the second regular session adjourns sine die.

* The period of interpellation is done, the bill is approved on second reading, amendments are finished, and the FOI bill is approved on third reading in the House between July 27, 2015 (when Congress starts its third regular session) and November 2015.

* The bicameral conference committee of the Senate and House has finalized a reconciled bill and its report is ratified in both chambers by December 2015.

* The Enrolled People’s FOI Bill must have been presented to the President for approval by January 2016.

* President Aquino signs the enrolled bill into law in February 2016, just in time for EDSA’s 30th anniversary.

By this timetable, the Right to Know Coalition said it will monitor and judge the action of the House, the Senate, and the President vis-à-vis the FOI bill, a major and popular advocacy of the Coalition’s 160-member organizations over the last 14 years.

A broad range of organizations signed the Coalition statement, including the Makati Business Club, FOI Youth Initiative, National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (NASSA) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Philippine College of Physicians, Code-NGO, Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK), Focus on the Global South-Philippines, Libertas, Transparency and Accountability Network, Center for Migrant Advocacy, Partido Manggagawa, Ang Kapatiran Party, Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA), PAL Employees Union, Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Peace Women Partners Inc., STOP the War Coalition Philippines, Save Agrarian Reform Alliance, Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), Action for Economic Reforms (AER), Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD), Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), and Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).

The eminent persons who also signed the Coalition statement include former House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo R. Tañada III; Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta, member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission and co-sponsor of the Right to Information provision; Prof. Edna E. A. Co of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies, Dr. Nicole Curato of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy & Global Governance, University of Canberra; Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio of the UP Department of Women and Development Studies; and Prof. Aileen San Pablo-Baviera of the UP Asian Center.

Comelec gets chair, new execs; CSC, PNP, CHR headless still

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TOO LATE but worth the three-month wait?

The search is over, at least for the chairman and two commissioners of the Commission on Elections, and the Office of the President seems to have risen from slumber.

Vacant seats in two other constitutional commissions and the Philippine National Police remain unfilled, however.

On Monday, Malacañan announced the appointment of lawyer Andres D. Bautista, until then chair of the Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG), as Comelec chairman.

Two other lawyers were also named to serve as commissioners of the poll body — Rowena V. Guanzon, who had served briefly as Commission on Audit (COA) commissioner, and Sheriff M. Abas from Cotabao, who had served as acting director of the Civil Service Commission-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Bautista replaces Sixto K. Brillantes Jr. whose term as Comelec chairman lapsed last February yet. Guanzon and Abas will assume the seats vacated by Lucenito N. Tagle and Elias R. Yusoph, whose terms of office had ended in February, too.

Earlier, the Office of the President had announced the designation of Miguel G. Aguinaldo, former deputy executive secretary for legal affairs, as chairman of the Commission on Audit, in lieu of Ma. Gracia Pulido-Tan.

Tan, the Comelec chairman and commissioners, and Francisco Duque III, chairman of the Civil Service Commission, had similarly stepped out of office on Feb. 2, 2015, following the end of their respective tenure.

Today, May 5, is also when Loretta Ann Rosales and the four commissioners of the Commission on Human Rights will mark their last day in office.

President Benigno S. Aquino III has yet to appoint a new director-general for the Philippine National Police, following the resignation of officer-in-charge, Superintendent Leonardo Espina.

Unless Aquino “appoints the most qualified for the job, drift and inertia could ensue in these agencies, partisan politics could override his choices, and his ‘Daang Matuwid’ reforms could head off to disrepair or reversal,” PCIJ had pointed out in an earlier report, “Silent emergency: Who should chair COA, Comelec, CSC, CHR?”

Curiously, the appointment of the three Comelec officials was announced only on May 4 even as the Office of the President clarified that their appointment papers had been signed six days earlier on April 28, 2015. If this was the case, in fact, the three officials will assume seven-year terms of office ending Feb. 2, 2022.

The implication is clear: if the President had signed the appointment papers of the three officials on April 28 — while Congress was in recess — they could take position immediately, on ad interim basis.

However, if their appointments were made only on May 4, when Congress had resumed its session, the three officials could not assume office, until after they the bicameral Commission on Appointments had confirmed their appointment.

Aquino had named Bautista, a former dean of Far Eastern University College of Law, PCGG chair in 2010. PCGG. Bautista graduated class valedictorian at the Ateneo de Manila University Law School.

Bautista will now be an addition to the long and colorful history of Comelec chairpersons.

In “Your Honor, Your Horror? A parade of Comelec chairs,” PCIJ had noted that the public’s trust – securing and keeping it — has always been a challenge to Comelec chairs.

“Of the eight chairpersons appointed to the poll body since 1986, a few have even gained infamy for brokering plum deals with contractors and for wasting billions of public funds in botched election modernization projects,” the story had noted. – Cong B. Corrales, PCIJ, May 2015