The Legal Network for Truthful Elections or LENTE is being established in response to wide scale and systematic fraud during the past elections. This is the first nationwide network of lawyers, law students, paralegals and other trained volunteers who will be engaged with election monitoring work in the 2007 elections. Aside from monitoring the canvassing of tallied votes in cities, municipalities, and provinces around the country, we will provide legal services to members of the Network during the elections.
At present, LENTE is composed of over 25 organizations, including the following:
- Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)
- One Voice
- Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action (CBCP-NASSA)
- National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL)
- Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV)
- Ateneo Human Rights Center
- Ateneo Law School Student Council
- Bishops’ Businessmen’s Conference (BBC)
- Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO)-Bantay Canvass
- Cebu Lady Lawyers Association
- Cebu Young Lawyers of the Philippines
- Halalang Marangal/HALAL
- Lawyers’ League for Liberty (LIBERTAS)
- Lyceum of the Philippines, College of Law Student Council
- Manuel L. Quezon University, College of Law Student Council
- National Council of Churches of the Philippines (NCCP)
- New Era University, College of Law Student Council
- Philippine Christian University College of Law Student Council
- Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID)
- Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches
- Philippine Law School, Student Council
- Puwersa para sa Ganap na Demokrasya Labang Wagas para sa Inang Bayan (Pugadlawin)
- Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN)
- University of the Philippines College of Law, Law Student Government
- University of San Carlos Law Student Council
- Upholding Life and Nature (ULAN)
- Davao Lady Lawyers Association or Dallas.
Election day is fast approaching and LENTE is taking the necessary steps to fortify its structure. We have decided to be governed by an Executive Committee which shall make all decisions that have to be made for the national level. At the provincial level, LENTE will be led by a PPCRV or IBP lawyer. The Co-Convenors of LENTE are Atty. Jose Vicente B. Salazar, National President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and Atty. Carlos P. Medina, Jr., Chief Legal Counsel of One Voice and Executive Director of the Ateneo Human Rights Center. The National Secretariat is based at the Ateneo Human Rights Center, Ateneo Professional Schools, 20 Rockwell Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati City.
LENTE will soon be conducting trainings on election laws and procedure at national, regional and provincial levels. LENTE is aiming for 17 regional trainings of trainers; 150 other trainings at the provinces and chartered cities; and 1 national trainers training at the national level. The trainers at the national level will be deployed to the various regions and the regional trainers will be conducting 150 trainings at the provinces and chartered cities.
We’d like to note that ARMM, which has always been a contentious spot during the elections, will be given special attention by LENTE. It follows that areas which are more susceptible to fraud and violence will be under LENTE’s closer scrutiny.
As you see, there is really much work to be done and, with the elections barely days away, one wonders if the Network can achieve all that it has set out to do. If one takes into account what we have accomplished so far it is this- we continue to mobilize volunteers, strengthen our coordinating mechanism and are now gearing up for the nationwide training. With such a promising start and with the growing and continuing support from our countrymen, LENTE is indeed allowing itself to hope for clean and fair elections.
