The Diocesan Electoral Board of the Diocese of Dumaguete is now fine-tuning its operations to become more effective and efficient during the conduct of the May 14 polls.

Board convenor Fr. Julius Perpetuo Heruela lamented at a meeting Tuesday that volunteer poll watchers already trained by the DEB usually end up being pirated by political candidates who offer more in terms of food and allowances.

The Board is composed of various group representations such as the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, National Movement for Free Elections, Vote Care, Philippine National Police, Commission on Elections, other organizations and individuals committed to ensure the holding of a free, clean, honest, peaceful and orderly elections.

Part of its role is to deploy volunteer poll watchers to the various voting precincts all over its area of coverage, which includes the province of Siquijor.

It was unfortunately a disappointment to see these volunteers, mostly young people, going to the other side of the fence to work for politicians and candidates after they had been trained, Fr. Heruela said.

To avoid a repeat of their 2004 elections experience, the Board has altered its training schedule for poll watching volunteers, from holding the seminar two weeks ahead of the day of election to only two days before the actual voting, he added.

Heruela said the DEB is also forming a legal team to protect the Board from being subjected to protests and sometimes, even harassment, from various political groups and individuals who question the unofficial poll results being tallied by NAMFREL.

City Election Officer Eddie Aba, in the same meeting, assured the DEB of assistance in case political candidates raise a protest, provided the COMELEC lawyers are not placed "in an awkward position."

Aba informed the Board that in cases of discrepancies in the number of votes, the tally results shall supersede the number or the words written in the election return forms.

He said based on previous elections in Oriental Negros, COMELEC officials are also hopeful that the voting this year would not be marred by violence. Police provincial director Sr. Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe, meanwhile, said so far, there are no election hotspots to speak of, although areas in the province tagged as critical in the 2004 polls are on top of the list of places to be closely watched during the election period. *JG

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