COUNTDOWN TO MAY 12 Ballot watchers, lecturers, electoral board members and technical employees from the DepEd conduct the ultimate inspection, testing and sealing of vote-counting machines and different election paraphernalia at Rafael Palma Elementary College in Manila on Monday, per week earlier than the midyear elections. —Marianne Bermudez
MANILA, Philippines — The Automated Election System (AES) that will probably be used for the Might 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 last part mandatory for the total implementation of automated elections, the Fee on Elections (Comelec) mentioned in an announcement on Monday.
The TEC authorized using the AES that features the Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Rely, which will probably be utilized by a lot 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 Providers 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 premise 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 in the course of 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 in command of the Division of Info and Communications Expertise-Nationwide Pc Emergency Response Staff; and Eden Bolo, director of the Comelec IT Division.
Among the many necessities of the TEC had been the profitable conduct of a discipline 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 evaluation.
Give it an opportunity
A certification will probably 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 gear.
In a briefing on Monday, Comelec Chair George Garcia mentioned he hoped that the TEC certification would handle the issues of these crucial of the AES.
“I hope we may give this course of an opportunity,” Garcia mentioned.
Nonetheless, he reiterated his enchantment for folks to be vigilant for the good thing about the voters.
“Let’s proceed to look at, criticize till Election Day, however be sure that our voters will be capable of vote,” Garcia mentioned. “Let’s make sure that nobody is disenfranchised, everybody can vote and all votes will probably be counted.”
In accordance with Garcia, the Comelec requested President Marcos final week to declare Might 12 as a vacation to permit thousands and thousands of Filipinos to vote for this 12 months’s nationwide and native elections.
In 2023, President Marcos issued Proclamation No. 59, declaring Oct. 30 that 12 months, a particular nonworking vacation to permit Filipinos to vote in the course of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
His predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, signed Proclamation No. 1357, declaring Might 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 Might 10.
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The nationwide and native elections, Garcia mentioned, will probably be held on Might 12, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will even be early voting hours for seniors, individuals with disabilities and pregnant voters from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.