Watch out interview with election lawyer Emil Marañon III about problems that will likely arise if the Philippines shifts to hybrid elections.

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Ang sabi naman ng critics kasi ng PCOS at VCM, hindi kami naniniwala sa resulta ng eleksyon

because hindi namin alam number one kung nabilang ba talaga ng makina yung voto namin.

So kumbaga may distrust sa makina because our senses were not able to perceive the process of counting

therefore we cannot believe the system as truthful or accurate.

So yan yung criticism nila because basically yung concept ng transparency of most critics,

transparency means the process of counting can be perceived by our senses.

Nakikita mo, naririnig mo na binasa yung makina.

So because wala daw ganoon, it's not transparent enough.

So ang counter proposal nila is why don't we do a hybrid system?

Hybrid system meaning ang gagawin natin is we still vote manually

but instead na ang makina ang magbibilang ng balota natin,

babalik tayo doon sa proseso ng manual election which is yung teacher yung magbabasa uli ng makina.

Teacher uli yung magbabasa.

Now, pag binasa ngayon ng teacher yung resulta doon sa balota isa-isa,

magka-throw on ng recording yan sa papel at magtataras uli sa board.

Kumbaga, tatlo.

So magbibilang ka ng balota, magtataras ka doon sa papel na nire-record na nila at magtataras ka rin sa board.

So doon na-anticipate kayo magiging problema dyan kung nareklamo nung ganyan yung sistema before, babalik yan.

Allegations at dagdag bawas tapos mas matagal yan.

Tapos after nagkaroon ng taras-taras, manual na bilangan, i-input mo ngayon sa computer yung resulta.

Kumbaga, pinaghalu mo yung feature ng manual elections at automated elections and that's where the word hybrid came from.

It's a mixture ng manual elections at automated elections.

Kumbaga, given our experience over the past several elections since 2010 kung kailan tayo nag-automate,

although technically meron pa rin siyang portion na manual,

ikaw bilang practitioner talagang babad na baba dyan sa elections sa baba, would you recommend this?

Yung hybrid shift?

Well unang-una siguro, yung sa akin naman kahit anong sistema na gamitin natin,

ako kasi ang tingin ko dapat evidence-based yung judgment natin.

Ibig sabihin, when we say that the hybrid system is better than the automated election, that shows us evidence.

And so far lahat ng evidence na available ngayon would still point na mas maraming disadvantages yung hybrid as against automated elections.

In fact, ang basis ko in saying this is I think back in, I'm not sure about the year but I think it was before the 2015 elections

or perhaps I think 2016 elections ata, nagkaroon ng test, testing, nagkaroon ng piloting,

kumbaga nagkaroon ng time in motion study yung COMELEC.

So yung proponents ng hybrid system, pinatawag ng COMELEC.

Sabi ng COMELEC, okay ipakita nyo sa amin kung paano nyo i-execute yung hybrid system na pinopropose nyo

because you would like to listen to it.

So sinimulate nila yung bilang ng votante, nagkaroon ng botohan all day long,

tapos yung teacher nagbilang din, tapos ginawa nila nagbilang, nagtara, something like that.

And after that study, nainatenda ng election practitioners, election lawyers, election watchdogs,

kasi kurios kami lahat kung ano ba talaga yung mas maganda ba yung hybrid o wala.

Ang conclusion ng election watchdogs and ang conclusion ng COMELEC is number one,

mas matagal ang proseso.

So kumbaga mas matagal. I think the result of the study is available online.

I think people can request it from COMELEC but it's still available online. It's verifiable.

Number one, mas mahabang proseso.

In other words, mas mabigat ang trabaho ng teacher because remember,

ang teacher sa automated elections nag-operate lang siya ng VCM machine.

Pindot-pindot lang siya, tapos na yung trabaho niya, uwiyan na.

But pagdating naman sa hybrid system, ang teacher magbibilang uli ng balota isa-isa.

Second, because na mahaba ang bilangan,

ang tendency niya is that mas less accurate yung hybrid count,

or manual counting, kumpara mo sa automated elections.

So mas mahaba na siya, mas less accurate pa siya.

And then also, in terms of expense on the part of the COMELEC,

sinabi ng COMELEC mas mahal ang hybrid. Bakit?

Number one, because sa bagal ng proseso ng hybrid,

kailangan mong mag-chop-chop ng presinto.

Kailangan mong damihan ng presinto para ma-accommodate yung bilang ng tao.

Kasi example, ang standard ng COMELEC is alam ko nasa 800 voters,

I'm not sure, but around 800 voters per precinct.

So sa hybrid system, kailangan mong i-breakdown yan, hatiin mo.

Otherwise, saabutin ng ilang araw yung mga teachers.

So every time na mas dadami yung presinto,

mas maraming computer yung kailangan mo.

And of course, ang question din dyan,

sa parte naman ng mga politiko na interesado doon sa risulta,

ang hybrid system would require at least three watchers.

Bakit three watchers?

Number one, dapat may watcher ka na tagabantay sa likod ng teacher

para pag nagbasa ng balota, sigurado ka na yung binabasa niya

is the one na nakasulat sa balota.

Nakatingin ka sa likod ng teacher?

Nakatingin ka sa likod ng teacher kung whether yung binabasa niya,

kung who won yan, who won. Hindi yung nagiging Pedro.

Who won nakasulat, Pedro ang binasa.

Because nangyayari yan sa manual election, manual nadayaan yan.

Second, kailangan mo din ng watcher na tagabantay doon sa tagataras sa papel,

sa may lamesa. So dapat may tagabantay ka din doon.

That's second watcher.

Meron ka din dapat watcher na tagabantay doon sa tagataras sa blackboard.

So kumbaga, tatlo dapat, if you really want to guard yung voto mo,

you will need at least three watchers.

Because for example, kung isa lang yung watcher mo,

may nagbabantay ka doon sa tagabilang ng balota,

e kung wala kang tagabantay doon sa blackboard at may papel sa lamesa,

baka mamaya tama yung pagbilang pero mali yung pagtaras.

Matay ka din. Ang tanong, kaya ba ng politiko na magpadala

ng tatlong election watcher bawat presinto?

And remember, pag-hybrid, mas maraming presinto yan.

In terms of gastos mo, patay tayo dyan.

So ang ending niyan, if the politicians can't afford to send three watchers,

ang tendency mo, isa lang papadala mo.

But the question is, is it effective election watching

kung hindi mo din naman nababantayan yung buong aspeto ng eleksyon?

So balik na naman tayo doon sa question,

transparent ba kung wala naman kaming opportunity

because prohibitive yung cost ng pagpapadala ng tatlong watcher?

Balik na naman tayo doon sa same issue, transparency pa rin.

So apart from that, of course sabi ko nga yung another aspect nito,

we are again introducing a new type of voting system.

Kumbaga every time you introduce a new voting system,

katakot-takot na naman yan na gasto sa voter education

because ang tao nga, can you imagine, bumoto na 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022,

pang-anin na ng eleksyon natin, 2025 will be our 7th election.

Kumbaga nasanay na tayo sa prosesong yun

but if you change it to another system again,

then you will need massive voter's education plan again

and ituturo mo sa tao papaano ngayon yung tamang pagboto under the new system.

So kumbaga, ito yung mga disadvantages.

So ang tanong sa taong bayan, are we willing to take these risks

because we are doubting that the automated election system is not transparent enough?

So yun yung mga basic questions.

And yung akin lang hinihingi dito is regardless of the decision,

I just hope that COMELEC will decide on the basis of evidence,

kumbaga evidence-based yung approach natin.

Kasi minsan masarap siya sa papel, masarap siya pakinggan, masarap siya basahin on paper

but ibang usapan yung whether pag in-implement mo na,

is it really transparent, is it really effective, is it really clean, is it really accurate?

Ibang usapan yung you are reading it on paper as against implementing it in real life.

So yun, sana whatever election system that we will implement,

hopefully evidence-based dapat yung approach natin.

And again, sinasabi ko natin, Christian, sinasabi ko, I'll be very honest.

Most of us election lawyers actually,

when my former boss Sixto Brillantes was still alive and we were in COMELEC,

sabi niya sa akin, alam mo yung profesyon na pagiging election lawyer

pag matutuloy-tuloy yung automated election,

sabi niya he predicted na mawawalan kami ng trabaho in the long run.

So the moment people start accepting the results of the election as is, mawawalan kami ng trabaho.

Because siyempre, sino pa mag-protesta wala na?

In fact nga, yung trend ngayon sa election protest,

every election, pababa ng pababa, pawala ng pawala yung protesta.

Kumbaga less and less politicians are filing election protest.

So kumbaga, in actually talking about the hybrid system,

I'm talking against my own personal interest because kung ako lang,

kung gusto ko lang na kumita, I would of course prefer manual elections or hybrid system

because I know na pag mas magulo, mas maraming away,

mas may trabaho kami ng mga abogado.

Because remember, yun naman eh, kung may gulo, doon kami kumikita ang mga abogado.

Mas may litigate ako.

Exactly.

Okay, teka.

Hinabuso ko na si attorney Emil Maran.

Ang sarap pag-usapan.

Maraming salamat sa tiyaga ng pagpapaliwanag mo.

Maraming maraming salamat.

Pero I hope sana maraming sila nakapulot dito.

Kasi nga sana tinutukan niya mabuti ang paliwanag.

Wala namang BS dun sa binabanggit niya.

Kasi hindi naman yung nadinig ang paliwanag from other experts pa dating dyan.

Sana na makinig yung comment like sa inyo at least.

Kasi kanina nadinig ko nagsusulong yan si Sen. Aimee Marcos, hybrid.

Diba? Doon ka rin nadinig mo sa speech niya. Gusto niya hybrid elections.

Sana masaintindihan ng mga taga-panood natin.

Before jumping into this system, sana magkaroon ng time and motion study, magkaroon ng actual na pag-aaral, magkaroon ng consultation sa stakeholders, magkaroon ng consultation sa tao, magkaroon ng consultation sa teachers.

Imagine ang unang matatamaan dito yung ating mga public school teacher na nagsiserve tuwing elections. And to be honest with you I have yet to hear a single teacher na nagsasabi na mas gusto namin yung manual election o manual bilangan.

Wala pa po akong naririnig. If you are a teacher and you want to go back to manual, I would love to correct myself.

But so far wala pa po ako naririnig na humihingi na gusto nilang mas pahirapan yung sarili nila.

Sa isang tunay na independent journalism. Maraming maraming salamat po.