By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(Journal Group Link International)

C HICAGO (JGLi) – On the eve of the first nationwide automated elections, Filipino-American leaders and organizations urged Saturday (May 8) Overseas Filipinos to pray and fast for a “clean, honest, orderly, peaceful, credible and meaningful elections.”

The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns in the US (NAFCON-US) says, “we Filipinos, Filipino-Americans and Friends, under the Ecumenical Leadership of our Catholic Bishop and Protestant Churches, are gathered together in solidarity with the Filipinos in the Philippines and throughout the world, praying to God and rallying our people for CLEAN, HONEST, ORDERLY, CREDIBLE AND MEANINGFUL ELECTIONS.

“We do so before the unfolding events in the Philippines that are related to the electoral exercise of May 10, 2010. First of all, from the ranks of candidates and their supporters many lives have already been killed and the future of many others have already been lost due to violence perpetrated by politicians through their hired goons and paid military and para-military personnel acting as their private army and personal bodyguards.

 
“The use of the government machinery and military and police agencies to commit such criminal acts has been ignominiously highlighted by the Maguindanao massacre. Reports of abductions and forced disappearances, ambuscades and assassinations of candidates, their leaders and ordinary supporters continue to hound the spirit of this exercise of democracy.

“The National Security Adviser of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo himself and the Commission of Elections (COMELEC) have openly declared of on-going plots within the military establishment and among civilian groups to cheat, sow confusion and chaos and make possible the failure of elections.

“Five days before the elections, the Smartmatic-TIM Asia-Pacific, the company that supplies COMELEC with the precinct count optical scans (PCOS) machines and their compact flash cards, has recalled all defective compact flash cards while the COMELEC has suspended delivery of PCOS machines known to malfunction, to several provinces.

 
“We know that there are no mobile phone signals in some 5,000 precincts, affecting some 10,000 vote-counting machines out of a total of 76,000 PCOS machines. We are aware of the power shortage besetting the country that threatens the conduct of the elections.

“We know too that vote-buying and schemes for cheating are standard operating procedures of traditional politicians and incumbent government officials to win their elective positions. And, as the incumbent Senate President declared that it is too late now to elect a new Senate President, a government solon and a known election lawyer of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have called for the postponement of this May elections in order to prevent failure of the elections that may be attributed to fraud and the malfunction of the PCOS machines. This solution may pave the way for a continued stay in power of the incumbent Philippine President and other elected government officials in a holdover capacity.”

The NAFCON statement sent by Atty. Arnedo S. Valera from Washington, D.C., said, in order to keep the Philippine elections clean, honest, orderly and peaceful, ‘we appeal to the hearts of the plotters of deceit and violence to refrain from implementing their evil schemes. We entrust them to our Lord of Truth, Justice and Peace that He may change their hearts with their wrongful designs and make of them instruments of honesty and peace.’

As the countdown to the May 10 elections draws to a close, “we call on all our kababayan in the United States of America and elsewhere abroad, and all the Friends of the Filipino everywhere: Be vigilant for the cause of democracy and freedom and, accordingly, act on behalf of truth, justice and peace!”

In the event of a declaration of failure of elections, “let us make militant and prophetic protest actions. Let us declare a NO REMITTANCE DAY to signify our opposition to any Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo holdover government and to any form of military takeover or any rule by a civilian-military junta.”

M eanwhile, Atty. Loida Nicolas Lewis, convenor of the U.S. Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar, urged supporters of the Liberal Party presidential and vice presidential candidates Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino and Mar Roxas to “fast and pray for orderly and honest elections.”

Attorney Lewis also clarified that the $100,000 raised by the U.S. Pinoys for Noynoy Mar was turned over to Jaime Lopa, treasurer of Senator Aquino, through telegraphic transfer.

It was earlier reported that the amount was given to Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, sister of Sen. Aquino. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net) # # #