HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

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1997

Preparations for Nationwide Implementation

      The whole year had been a long wait for the passage of the nationwide modernation bill into law by both houses of Congress. While on the wait, the COMELEC busied itself with conferences with the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms and several demonstrations before the House of Representatives at the invitation of the Committee, and with public demonstrations to group of individuals who gave invitations to the COMELEC for the same purpose. These deomsntrations included those given before:

1. the Liberal Party (LP), Sen. Pimentel's political party, in Tagaytay City in January;
   
   
2. representatives from NAMFREL, PPCRV, Information Technology Foundation of the Philippines (ITFP), and from the offices of several Senators in February. This demonstration was requested by the House Committee on Suffrage; and
   
   
3. the regional election directors from the COMELEC field offices in March

      In February, the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) presented an international symposium entitled "Asian Democracy in Transition: A Symposium on Asian Elections in the 21st Century" at the Diamond Hotel, Manila which was attended by representatives from different Asian countries. As a result of this, the COMELEC was able to present the results of the past pilot testing of its automated election system in the ARMM last September 9, 1996 to the following delegations that came to COMELEC for a demonstration included representatives from the countries of Bangladesh, Cambodia, Korea, and Vietnam.

      On December 22, RA 8436, entitled "An Act Authorizing the Commission on Elections to Use an Automated Election System in the May 11, 1998 National or Local Elections and in Subsequent National and Local Electoral Exercises, Providing Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes", was finally passed into law.

1996

1998