Malacanang confident COMELEC will be able to
carry out mandate for safe, peaceful elections
Malacanang expressed confidence on Sunday that
the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) would be able to carry out its mandate to
hold safe and peaceful elections in the 2013 national and local midterm
elections that will be held in May.
In an interview aired over government-run radio
station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said the COMELEC is the sole constitutional body best equipped to carry out
this mandate.
“At this point we expect the COMELEC to be able
to carry out their mandate for a safe and peaceful election in May and we leave
it up to them how best to carry out that mandate,” Valte said.
“…'yun ang expectation namin and the public sa
kanila: gagawin po nila ang lahat ng posible para siguruhing mapayapa at malinis
ang eleksyon sa Mayo,” she added.
The COMELEC, through its Chairman Sixto
Brillantes, had assured the conduct of automated elections this May after the
report of the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC), tasked by Republic Act 9369
to review and certify if the automated election system, validated the mock
polls conducted in 20 voting centers in 10 areas across the country.
The TEC is composed of the COMELEC, Department
of Science and Technology and the Commission on Information and Communications
Technology. PND (rck)
President Aquino to keynote 46th Governing Board
Meeting of Asian Audit Institutions
President Benigno S. Aquino III will keynote the
46th Governing Board (GB) Meeting of the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit
Institutions (ASOSAI) in ceremonies that will be held in Malacanang on Monday.
The ASOSAI is one of the Regional Groups of the
International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI). It was
established in 1979 to promote professionalism, mutual support and
understanding among the member SAIs through institutional capacity building,
knowledge sharing and regional working groups with 46 countries.
The Commission on Audit was elected as Member of
the governing body of the ASOSAI for the period 2012 to 2015; and host of this
GB meeting that is being held from February 17 to 21.
Joining the President will be COA chairperson
Grace Pulido Tan and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario. PND (rck)