By Arlie Calalo

OFFICIALS of the Commission on Elections warned of a revival of the ?syndicate at the poll body? if the country is forced to return to manual voting for the 2010 national and local elections.

Chairman Jose Melo and Commissioners Rene Sarmiento and Nicodemo Ferrer, along with former ambassador to the Vatican Henrietta de Villa, chairman of the Church-backed Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, could not hide their disappointment over the snail-paced action of the House of Representatives in enacting the P11.3-billion budget for the full automation of election.

?I am a little bit disappointed,? Melo told reporters. Poll officials held an en banc session to discuss their plans for elections in 2010 following claims from lawmakers they were looking at the adoption of a hybrid system?using both manual and automated systems.

Under the proposed hybrid system, the Comelec will adopt the automation system on the national level?presidential, vice president and senatorial?while manual voting will be used at the local level in which posts for congressman, governor and mayor down to councilor are being contested.

?And if it will happen that everybody is debating on what system will really be used in the next elections, we might be ending up returning to manual voting,? Melo reiterated as he expressed apprehension that this will open the door for cheating.

?If we go manual, buhay na naman ang syndicate sa Comelec. Baka mabuhay na naman ang mga Garci type d?yan,? he told reporters without elaborating on what he meant by ?syndicate.?

But the poll chief said that manual voting would still be the cheapest but least effective among the options considered by the Comelec.

Sarmiento said manual voting will also mean that election protests will flood the poll body.

?In 2007 elections, we used manual voting and up to now we are resolving cases,? Sarmiento said.