Senator Risa Hontiveros today called on the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the Automated Election System to investigate reports claiming that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has failed to obtain a legally-mandated certification on the security and accuracy of the automated election system (AES) for the May 12 elections.
“Halos 70 araw na lang bago ang election day, kaya dapat agarang kumilos ang Senado at House of Representatives at siguraduhin na nasusunod ang lahat ng mekanismo sa batas para sa malinis at maayos na automated elections. Itong mga napapabalitang isyu ay dapat malinaw na, para walang pangamba o duda ang taumbayan pagdating ng Mayo 12,” Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros pointed to reports claiming that the Comelec has yet to comply with Sec. 11 of RA 8436 as amended by RA 9369 or the Election Automation Law, which requires it to obtain a certification from an established international certification entity stating that the country’s AES, including its hardware and software components, “is operating properly, securely and accurately.”
“Under the law, the certification should have been issued ‘not later than three months before the date of the electoral exercises.’ This means that Pro V & V Inc., the international certification entity contracted by Comelec, should have already issued a certification on or before February 12, 2025,” Hontiveros said.
“Dapat matanong natin ang Comelec, sa pamamagitan ng joint congressional oversight committee, kung nasaan na ang certification na iyan na nagpapatunay na maayos ang ating automated election system. At kung wala pa ang certification, dapat maipaliwanag nila sa taumbayan kung bakit hindi pa ito nailalabas, sa kabila ng malinaw na deadline sa ilalim ng batas,” she added.
Hontiveros said that should Comelec opt to proceed to use the AES without the required certification, they must submit their formal written explanation to the oversight committee in accordance with law. However, she warned that using the AES without certification “would severely affect public confidence in the May 12 elections.”
Alongside the topic of AES certification, Hontiveros said that the oversight committee should look into recent claims made by Isabela vice-mayoral candidate Jeryll Respicio about the vulnerability of automated counting machines. The Comelec has since filed a criminal complaint against Respicio in relation to his claims.
“The oversight committee can also shed light on alleged vulnerabilities in our AES – especially in procedures related to the counting and transmission of election results. Sana linawin ng Comelec kung dapat nga bang kinakabit lang ang modem sa automated counting machines kung magta-transmit na ito ng election results. Sa unang bersiyon kasi ng Comelec instructions, parang sa testing process pa lang ay ikakabit na ang modem sa automated counting machines at hindi na ito tatanggalin,” Hontiveros said.
The senator then said that while Comelec’s campaign against election-related misinformation is a good thing, the commission should not be dismissive of nor hostile to citizens, who in good faith, call out potential means for interference in the country’s automated elections.
“When it comes to automated elections, there is no such thing as security through obscurity. We should listen to all stakeholders on how we can improve the security of our votes, even when it takes the form of criticism. Ang pagpuna sa pamahalaan ay obligasyon ng bawat mamamayan, lalo na kung ito ay makakatulong sa malinis na halalan,” Hontiveros concluded.