Delay looms in counting of 3M votes

By Marie Surbano (The Daily Tribune)
Link: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100507hed5.html

A delay in the count of over 3 million votes is likely should the consortium of Smartmatic and Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) fail to deliver on time the compact flash cards for about five percent of areas considered as far flung or risky.
 

This was admitted yesterday by Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Jose Melo who said the supplier of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines may deliver the CF cards to five percent of the total vote precincts not on election day itself but at best the next day or May 11.

“Only 5 percent ‘may’ not get the flash cards with the testing. This may be done on the day of the elections itself. Five percent of the 76,000 may not have their cards attached and tested by Saturday and Sunday. And the rest will be there on Sunday itself for the testing,” Melo told reporters at a news briefing.

Cesar Flores, Smartmatic president for Asia Pacific, said the 5 percent CF cards that would not be delivered on time concerns security issues.

Poll machines pass 2nd round of tests

By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)
Link:http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=573031&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - Automated elections nationwide will be held as scheduled on Monday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday with renewed optimism after the machines passed a second round of tests.

Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said compact flash cards will be distributed by Saturday to 95 percent of the clustered precincts throughout the country.

“In case there would be precincts in very, very remote areas without compact flash cards or if they do not arrive on time, voters will still go and vote, and their ballots will be deposited in ballot boxes and, on election day itself or the day after the flash cards arrive and (are) tested, the ballots will then be fed for counting,” he said.

Results of testing of PCOS machines, particularly in Metro Manila, showed a 100 percent match of manual and machine counting of votes, he added.

Melo said manual counting of votes would be held only in small municipalities, in case a machine would malfunction and a spare one is not immediately available.

Comelec: No 'ghost' polling precincts

By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star)
Link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=569029&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday denied the existence of “ghost” polling centers in the list of precincts they asked Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) to survey.

In a press briefing, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez belied an abs -cbnNews.com/Newsbreak report about “ghost” precincts in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

Citing Smartmatic-TIM’s site survey reports to the Comelec, the news agency revealed that the joint venture’s surveyors have failed to locate 57 polling centers which pertain to public schools.

“It was a regular report and it was misinterpreted as ghost precincts because of findings that supposedly so and so number was not found by the team. It’s as simple as that. The report itself does not make any claim that there are missing precincts,” he noted.

Smartmatic inks service contract with telcos for auto polls

By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star)
Link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=568672&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) forged yesterday a memorandum of agreement with telecommunication companies to avail of their services in the May 10 polls.

The agreement was signed by representatives of Globe, PLDT Smart, Digitel and Smartmatic-TIM while Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials, led by Chairman Jose Melo, stood as witnesses.

Under the agreement, the system of these companies will be used to transmit the poll results from the voting centers to the canvassing centers and to the national canvassing centers.

“The way I look at it, this completes the circle because we are going to have preparations for the elections, the printing, the configuration and manufacture of the PCOS (precinct count optical scan) machines, everything,” Melo said.

Poll adviser worried over loss of ballot security mark

by Kristine L. Alave

From Philippine Daily Inquirer 
Link:http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100331-261718/Poll-adviser-worried-over-loss-of-ballot-security-mark

MANILA, Philippines—Another hiccup has led to one less election safeguard.

A major security feature of the machines to be used in the automated elections on May 10 has reportedly been turned off after tests failed to sense the ultraviolet (UV) mark that would identify a genuine ballot.

Ramon Casiple, a member of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Advisory Council, Tuesday expressed concern over the changes made on the security identifiers used in the ballots, saying the move could compromise the integrity of the elections.

Casiple said Smartmatic-TIM, the automated elections provider, and the Comelec had turned off the UV ink reader on all 82,2000 precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines after the UV security marks on the ballots caused the machines to reject them.

“During the lab test performed last January, at least 20 percent of the ballots were not read by the PCOS machines,” Casiple said.

5 security measures

The UV ink mark is one of the five security measures in the automation contract. The others are the paper manufactured in Canada, bar code, Comelec security seal and the unique precinct-based numbers.

To replace the built-in PCOS UV reader, Comelec and Smartmatic-TIM will buy portable UV ink readers for the board of election inspectors (BEI) to use on Election Day to check the authenticity of the ballots, Casiple said.

“Before the BEI gives you the ballot, the BEI will shine the portable reader on it to show that there is the UV ink. What was supposed to be high-tech has become low-tech,” Casiple explained.

The Comelec is expected to purchase about 76,000 handheld UV readers for each precinct.