COUNTDOWN TO MAY 12 Ballot watchers, academics, electoral board members and technical workers from the DepEd conduct the ultimate inspection, testing and sealing of vote-counting machines and different election paraphernalia at Rafael Palma Elementary Faculty in Manila on Monday, every week earlier than the midyear elections. —Marianne Bermudez
MANILA, Philippines — The Automated Election System (AES) that might be used for the Could 12 nationwide and native elections can function “correctly, securely and precisely,” in line with native and worldwide specialists who assessed it forward of the polls.
The certification, issued by the Technical Analysis Committee (TEC), is the final and remaining part obligatory for the complete implementation of automated elections, the Fee on Elections (Comelec) mentioned in a press release on Monday.
The TEC accredited using the AES that features the Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Depend, which might be utilized by many of the native voters and a few areas for voters overseas; the On-line Voting and Counting System, or the internet-based voting for majority of the land-based and seafarer abroad voters; and the Safe Digital Transmission Companies for the transmission of votes from precincts to canvassing facilities.
READ: Comelec transfers 2025 elections supply codes to BSP
The Comelec mentioned the AES was licensed on the idea of the advice of Professional V&V Inc., an Alabama-based expertise agency which is the worldwide certification entity (ICE) for the 2025 midterm elections. The agency was additionally the ICE through the 2019 and 2022 polls.
The TEC certification was signed by Franz de Leon, director of the Division of Science and Expertise-Superior Science and Expertise Institute; Zareno Reno Topacio, officer accountable for the Division of Info and Communications Expertise-Nationwide Laptop Emergency Response Crew; and Eden Bolo, director of the Comelec IT Division.
Among the many necessities of the TEC had been the profitable conduct of a subject testing course of adopted by a mock election in a number of cities or municipalities; the profitable completion of audit on the accuracy, performance and safety controls of the AES software program; and the profitable completion of a supply code evaluate.
Give it an opportunity
A certification might be issued that the supply code is saved in escrow with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and one other certification that the supply code reviewed is identical as that utilized by the tools.
In a briefing on Monday, Comelec Chair George Garcia mentioned he hoped that the TEC certification would tackle the considerations of these vital of the AES.
“I hope we can provide this course of an opportunity,” Garcia mentioned.
Nonetheless, he reiterated his attraction for folks to be vigilant for the advantage of the voters.
“Let’s proceed to watch, criticize till Election Day, however guarantee that our voters will be capable of vote,” Garcia mentioned. “Let’s be sure that nobody is disenfranchised, everybody can vote and all votes might be counted.”
In response to Garcia, the Comelec requested President Marcos final week to declare Could 12 as a vacation to permit hundreds of thousands of Filipinos to vote for this yr’s nationwide and native elections.
In 2023, President Marcos issued Proclamation No. 59, declaring Oct. 30 that yr, a particular nonworking vacation to permit Filipinos to vote through the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
His predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, signed Proclamation No. 1357, declaring Could 9, 2022, a particular nonworking vacation to permit extra folks to solid their votes.
The Comelec additionally denied posts on social media claiming that the elections had been moved to Could 10.
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The nationwide and native elections, Garcia mentioned, might be held on Could 12, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There can even be early voting hours for seniors, individuals with disabilities and pregnant voters from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
