I am Rafael Y. Querubin, a registered voter of the municipality of Magallanes, Agusan del Norte.

I sent you a message via text at 1:13 a.m. of May 15. I am now making it formal through this letter.

I have gathered the following data:

Out of 19 clusters (1 PCOS machine/cluster), ten (10) malfunctioned

Of these ten units, eight (8) reflected “Returned Ballots”, one had no power and another one was not able to transmit at all.

The cluster groups and precincts of the malfunctioning PCOS machines are as follows:

Cluster 2                                – Barangay Poblacion

Cluster 6                                – Sitio Dahican, Barangay Caloc-an

Clusters 11, 12 & 13            – Barangay Marcos

Clusters 14 & 15                  – Barangay Sto. Niño

Clusters 16, 17 & 18            – Barangay Sto. Rosario

I voted in Cluster 2, Barangay Poblacion and was told by the BEI to drop my ballot into the PCOS bin (the machine had a wide opening where voters were told to drop their ballots). Upon further investigation, I learned that this practice happened in ALL the above clusters.

The ballots were then taken to the Municipal Hall in Barangay Poblacion and were then manually fed by the BEIs and some unauthorized teachers to a functioning PCOS machine. Apparently, they were only changing the CF cards and “memory chip” for each of the clusters mentioned above.

The results from the printed COCs reflected a landslide victory for the incumbent mayor, the incumbent vice mayor, and all their eight (8) councilors.

As of this writing, only Clusters 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 19 are reflected in the Comelec/Smartmatic website.  These clusters, except for cluster 12, are the ones with functioning PCOS machines.

Vote-buying is common knowledge in Magallanes, but what is most alarming is the unrealistic landslide victory of the incumbent/Liberal Party.

This is happening in most cities and municipalities in Agusan del Norte. I am not certain if all these areas experienced the same percentage of PCOS machine breakdowns. There is a widespread disbelief and the suspicion of a large-scale conspiracy by the Liberal Party.

I truly believe that the hand of a new Virgilio “Hello Garci” Garcillano is behind the outrageous and unrealistic victory of the LP candidates in Agusan del Norte. I have not checked the other areas in Mindanao.

You can easily cross-check my claims with the Comelec results.

I am hoping that you would kindly look into this.

I believe in the sanctity of my vote. I believe in my right to suffrage. Please help the people of Magallanes and Agusan del Norte.

Thank you,

Rafael Y. Querubin

News Release

May 20, 2013

The poll watchdog group Kontra Daya today said that it is not the alleged conspiracy between election watchdogs that is the problem but the “conspiracy between Comelec and Smartmatic in undermining the elections using taxpayer’s money.”

The group made the statement in reaction to a warning by Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes that he will go after the various critics of the Automated Election System now that the elections are over.

“The real conspiracy we should be worried about is between Comelec and Smartmatic. It is the conspiracy that allowed P1.8 billion in taxpayer’s money to be used to purchase the PCOS machines even if they are unreliable. It is the conspiracy to cover up the widespread machine failures and transmission problems that occurred during the elections. It is the conspiracy to shun accountability for the problem of the AES. It is the conspiracy to trump transparency and integrity,” said Kontra Daya convenor Fr. Joe Dizon.

“Comelec should welcome and not attack the critics of the AES. The criticisms are necessary if we want to have a better system. The reason none of the watchdogs are praising Comelec and Smartmatic is because the problems persisted, if not worsened in 2013,” he added.

Kontra Daya said that from the start of the May 13 elections and its immediate aftermath, both Comelec and Smartmatic have been singing the same tune, that the polls went smoothly and that the results delivered were fast and credible.

“Comelec should be beholden to the people, not to any foreign corporation like Smartmatic. When 30% of the PCOS machines fail to transmit votes, Comelec should be the first to raise hell against Smartmatic. The problem is that Comelec willfully entered into a problematic agreement with a foreign private corporation, effectively surrendering a sovereign function to a foreign entity and ending up defending a questionable system,” said Kontra Daya’s Prof. Gani Tapang.

“We will be studying what legal options taxpayers have so that there will be accountability for the failures and problems that marked the 2013 elections,” Tapang said.

May 17, 2013

Cateel, Davao Oriental – Days before the actual elections, mayoralty candidate Camilo Nuñez, brother of Davao Oriental incumbent and reelectionist governor Corazon Malanyaon was reportedly buying votes here by luring voters with ‘libreng pabahay’ cards worth P21,000 each.

The poll watchdog Kontra Daya said cases of vote-buying has been rampant in Cateel, Davao Oriental before and during election day. Kontra Daya was able to get a photo of the said pabahay cards.

A 20-year-old voter from Barangay Poblacion said he received the ‘libreng pabahay’ card on May 12 from village leaders known as “bagmen” of the Nuñez-Malanyaon clan. They were told that the card will serve as a claim stub for the houses that the province will distribute few months after Nuñez wins the elections.

“Maglisod mi ug tuo kung tinuod ba gyud ning pabahay card nga gipanghatag nila. Basta ingon, ihatag daw nila  kung muduag si Mayor [Camilo Nuñez],” said the source.

Aside from the ‘libreng pabahay’ cards, the source claimed that they also received cash and goods from the coordinators of the political siblings.

“Naay bugas ug sardinas nga gihatag sugod Abril,” he added.

“Our three days of monitoring in Davao Oriental shows deplorable vote-buying in this Typhoon Pablo-hit province. The people know that the goods being given out are from Pablo disaster funds but are being used by candidates for their electoral bid. This proves how local politicians could be so rabid, using the people’s own money for their vested interests,” said Krista Melgarejo, spokesperson of Kontra Daya.

Another source said that vote-buying and fraud are systematically practiced by the coordinators of the two political siblings in their town. According to him, vote-buying was done during the actual voting.

“Kung botante ka, musulod ka sa usa ka presinto, bantayan ka sa watcher nila. Pagnaka-boto na ka, naay papel nga ihatag ang watcher, confirmation na nga niboto ka [sa ilaha]. Pagkahuman, makadawat na ka ug sobre pagka-gawas nimo [sa presinto],” he said.

He added that, “Sa mga layo nga barangay, grabe gyud. Wala na silay labot bisag naay mga opisyales sa Comelec o pulis.”

Article XXII of the Omnibus Election Code defines vote buying as giving, offering, or promising money, favors, or jobs in exchange for getting a person’s vote for the principal or causing the person to vote against somebody else. It holds criminally liable both the vote buyer and vote seller.

Persons found guilty faces a prison term of one to six years and shall be permanently barred from holding any public office as well as denied their right of suffrage.

“The Comelec should take action on these violations of the election code. The case of extreme vote-buying in Davao Oriental must be investigated and appropriate action should be implemented. With the massive use of taxpayer’s money to buy votes, the integrity of this elections remain doubtful” Melgarejo concluded.

For reference:

Krista Melgarejo

Convener

Kontra Daya SMR

MAY 15, 2013

DAVAO CITY – As reports of transmission failures continue to barrage its hotlines as of midday today, the poll watchdog Kontra Daya expressed alarm over fraudulent activities happening with the automation of the poll system.

The group, after having documented voluminous reports of glitches in the Automated Election System (AES) in the polls and even during the final testing and sealing (FTS) of PCOS machines last Monday, said it cannot trust the credibility of the results of the automated  elections.

“The transmission of results is one of the most crucial parts of the AES since it is very difficult to monitor the electronic data being sent in the airwaves. Transmission of election results was neglected during the FTS. Now we fear that it is not impossible that the yet untransmitted results could be used to either pad or slash votes,” said Krista Melgarejo, convener of Kontra Daya- Mindanao.

Melgarejo criticized the Comelec for not being transparent with the source code, which the group claimed to be very significant in providing safeguard for the AES. She added that the transmission problem is just one among the election-related irregularities documented by their group.

Kontra Daya shared that as of 1:30PM yesterday, 18 hours after the polls closed, 91 precincts in Davao City have not yet successfully transmitted results. In some areas in Tagum, Davao del Sur, Cotabato City and North Cotabato, transmission also failed after several tries.

“Among other problems, we deplore the massive vote buying in Davao Region. Also most appalling is the  use of disaster funds in the  electoral bids of incumbent officials in Davao Oriental, engagement of the military in partisan politics, militarization and harassments. Trends showed that fraudulent practices involve ballot switching, ballot rejection, and the old style use of  flying voters, pre-shaded ballots, among others.  Cases of violence include killings, bombings and bomb threats. Many disenfranchised voters share this view. Given these, we in Kontra Daya doubt the integrity of the AES results. The Comelec cannot just ignore all these election-related irregularities and claim that the election is generally successful,” said Melgarejo.

“Even a single vote disenfranchised is already one citizen denied of his right of suffrage,” added Melgarejo who stressed the importance of ensuring the reliability and sanctity of the AES.

In a statement posted in its website, Kontra Daya national office cited the questionable canvass results released by PPCRV-KBP last night showing bloated figures of votes with respect to the number of precincts canvassed.

“As the electoral count continues, questionable results yielded by the PPCRV-KBP’s canvassing servers underscore the problems with the Smartmatic Automated Election System (AES).  Without the benefit of public disclosure of the AES source code and thorough pre-testing, these statistically wrong results put the whole canvassing of votes into serious question.  Any results from hereon are now questionable,” reads the statement.

Melgarejo urged the people to engage in active scrutiny of the election results given the irregularities observed.

“We have enough reason to be highly alarmed and skeptical of the results of the AES. If we truly value our votes and consider them sacred, we should demand accountability from the Comelec and Smartmatic and the Aquino administration. A manual count is in order given the overwhelming failure of the PCOS,” concluded Melgarejo.###

For reference:

Krista Iris Melgarejo

Convener

Kontra Daya SMR

News Release

May 16, 2013

Reference: Dr. Gani Tapang, Kontra Daya convenor

Chairman Sixto Brillantes has just removed the last pretense of transparency in the 2013 midterm polls by ordering a stop of the release of results to the supposed independent third-party count being done by the PPCRV and media outfits.

The PCOS machine supposedly transmits data to the transparency server after it sends it data to the canvassing server for third parties to verify the results of the election. As of noon of May 16, only around 76.13 % of the election returns have reported their data.

The slow transmission to the transparency server means that at more than 30 percent of all precincts have failed to transmit their data two days after elections and that around a quarter of the precincts have yet to send in their results. The PCOS machines did not work as expected. These numbers are worse than the performance of the machines in 2010.

According to reports that Kontra Daya received, these problems range from the PCOS machine failing to transmit either due to signal problems or its failure to read in the CF cards while transmitting.

Kontra Daya also pointed out that Smartmatic should not blame the teachers serving as the Board of Election Inspectors for the inadequacies of the Comelec-Smartmatic AES. The Comelec also cannot simply lay the blame on the telcos for the transmission woes. The Comelec should have tested the whole system end-to-end and ensured that the machines, CF cards, ballots and procedures work out on election day. No such end-to-end test took place.

We hold Chairman Brillantes, the Comelec and Smartmatic accountable for the problems in the AES.

May 14, 2013

KONTRA DAYA-SOUTHERN TAGALOG

Reference Person: Erica Chiong

Sa pag-anunsiyo kahapon ng Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) na itigil muna ang pagbibilang ng resulta ng halalan dahil umano sa ‘di tugmang mahigit 12 milyong boto sa 1,418 lamang na presintong nagpasok ng mga datos, nagbigay ito ng dagdag na duda sa dati nang maanomalyang Automated Election System (AES).

Simula noong 2010, isinalang na ang taumbayan sa isang napakateknikal na proseso upang matiyak ang isang dapat malinis at maayos na pagboto at pagbantay sa ating mga boto. Bagay na humihingi ng isang antas ng kakayahan at pagsusuri, lalo na sa hanay ng mga pollwatchers, upang matiyak na walang dayaang magaganap.

Gayunpaman, sa abot ng saklaw ng Kontra Daya – Southern Tagalog kasama ang iba’t ibang mga organisasyong nakabase sa kani-kanilang mga komunidad, kapansin-pansin ang dami ng naiulat na mga iregularidad sa araw ng halalan na patuloy pang nadaragdagan ngayong nasa yugto tayo ng canvassing. Tandaan na ang rehiyon ng Timog Katagalugan ang isa sa rehiyon sa bansa na may pinakamalaking bilang ng mga botante – mahigit 7.5 milyon. Kaya’t anu’t anupaman ang mga iregularidad na naganap dito ay dapat masusing maipaliwanag ng Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Anomalya sa mga presinto: Karamihan ay dahil sa PCOS machines

Sa mahigit 90 iba’t ibang kaso ng iregularidad, 50 dito ang naiulat na problema na may kauganayn sa PCOS machines, kalakhan dito ay dahil hindi gumagana ang mismong makina.

Katulad na lamang ng sa Clustered Precinct 425 ng Sitio Sambaville sa Antipolo City, na hindi na gumana buong araw ang PCOS. 95% naman ng mga makina sa Lipa City ay non-functioning ang status sa buong umaga ng halalan. Sa iba pang mga ulat, nagkaroon ng: biglang pag-shutdown, paper-jam, short-circuit, hindi pagprint ng Election Returns (ERs) at bateryang nabasa sa ulan na walang replacement. Ngayon lamang din pumasok ang mga balita sa mga liblib na lugar tulad ng sa Taytay, Palawan na 99% ng PCOS machines ang hindi gumana.

Malaki rin ang bilang ng mga rejected ballots, tampok na rito ng mahigit 800 iniluwa ng PCOS machine sa Clustered Precinct 180 sa Brgy. San Rafael, Montalban, Rizal; 327 rejected ballots sa Cluster Precincts 184 – 189 ng Brgy. Dulong Bayan, Bacoor City, Cavite at kinukuha pang bilang sa Brgy. Mamatid, Cabuyao, Laguna; Dasmariñas Elementary School, Cavite; Talaba Elementary School, Bacoor City, at marami pang iba.

Nakaapekto rin ang at nagbunsod ng pagkaantala ng pagboto ang pagkawala ng kuryente sa Tanauan City, Lipa City sa Batangas at Biñan, Laguna. Hirap din sa pagtransmitt ng ERs sa kani-kanilang provincial centers sa bayan ng Catanauan, Gumaca at Sariaya sa Quezon Province; Calaca at Batangas City; gayundin sa Puerto Princesa City.

Kung idadagdag pa natin ang usapin ng kawalan ng maayos na sistema sa pagpila, nangingialam na mga supporters ng pulitiko, PNP at AFP at panggigipit sa mga pollwatchers ay tiyak na komosyon ang idudulot sa mga presinto. Sa kasalukuyan mga ulat, 11 ang insidente ng harassment, threats at election-related violence; 7 kaso ng Vote-buying/Flying Voters/Electioneering; 4 anomalya kaungay ng mga Pollwatchers, at 11 bilang ng kaso ng Disenfranchised Voters at iba pa. (Tingnan ang kabuuang dokumento ng aming naitalang iregularidad.)

Pag-extend ng election canvassing: nagbukas lalo sa posibilidad ng dayaan

Hindi inaasahan kahapon ang pagdeklara ni Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes na isuspinde ang opisyal na bilangan at ilipat ng Martes ng umaga, sa kadahilanan ng “pagod”. Sa ganitong kalagayan, na-obliga ang mga pollwatchers na magdamag na bantayan ang mga boto sa dapat sanang isang araw lang na halalan.

Nagpapatunay ang pagdeklara ng extension sa inefficiency ng AES, dahil sa dami ng iregularidad sa buong bansa, kumain ito ng maraming oras at “pumagod” sa mga election volunteers.

Kaya’t maraming tanong ang umuusbong: Paano matitiyak ng Comelec na sa sitwasyong hindi pa rin nabibilang ang mga boto – Na hindi mapapalitan ang mga CF cards? Na ang mga balotang itinabi muna dahil hindi mabilang ng sirang PCOS machine ay ligtas? Na tunay ang panaka-nakang transmission ng mga election results sa iba’t ibang oras na pagpasok sa mga municipal at provincial centers?

Sa kabila ng mga pahayag ni Brillantes na 99.9% na magiging maayos ang daloy ng lahat isang araw bago ang halalan, nailantad ng mga pangyayari ang kabaligtaran: ang kanilang kawalang kahandaan sa mga kaganapan.

Ngayon pa man at pagkatapos ng halalang ito, maraming tanong ang kailangang sagutin ng Comelec dahil sa pagiging kampante nito sa sariling proseso.

Paninisi ng Comelec at hindi pag-ako sa kanilang kapabayaan 

Ngunit tila pinatutsadahan na ni Brillantes ang mamamayan kagabi kung paano magpapaliwanag sa marami pang anomalyang naganap at posibleng maganap: pawang paghuhugas ng kamay o pagkikibit-balikat.

Tulad ng ginawa ng Smartmatic sa paglabas ng pahayag na wala silang kinalaman sa mga paratang ng PPCRV, mukhang ang magiging palusot din ni Brillantes ay hindi pag-ako ng responsibilidad dito at magbunton na lamang ng sisi sa iba: partikular ang kakapusan ng training ng mga BEIs na tinermino niyang “human error”. Pag-iwas ito sa isyu ng kanilang kapabayaan na magkaroon ng matibay na bakod ang halalan upang hindi pumalya at upang mapagbawalan ang sinumang magtatangka ng dayaan.

Idagdag pa natin ang mga tradisyonal na pamamaraan ng vote-buying na dapat panagutin ng Comelec, sa “siguradong” mga boto sa mga lugar na balwarte at walang katunggali ang mga angkan at sa sistematikong karahasan sa mga tumutunggali ng ganitong pamamakalad.

Lalong nababawasan ang kredibilidad ng Comelec sa mga Pilipino, dahil ang ahensiyang hindi kayang umako sa kanilang pagkakamali ay minamaliit ang boses ng mga dapat nilang ipinagtatanggol at pinagsisilbihan. Simula pa lamang ng hindi pagreview sa source code na gagamitin ngayong eleksyon, nalagay na sa panganib ang tiwala na ibinigay ng mamamayan kay Brillantes.

Hamon sa mamamayan: magmatyag at kumilos!

Kung ang mismong tagapagpatupad dapat ng isang sistema ng malinis na halalan ang siya na ring nagbibigay ng tuwid na daan upang magpatuloy ang maruming pulitika sa bansa, lalo’t higit kailangang maging mapagmatyag ang mamamayan laban sa mga kabuktutang ito.

Hindi natatapos ang halalan sa ating pagboto, kundi sa patuloy na paglahok natin sa  pagbabantay hanggang sa pagluklok ng mga tunay na dapat maglingkod sa kapwa. Ngunit ngayon pa lamang, maraming “lingid sa ating kaalaman” sa teknolohiyang mapanlinlang, maraming anomalyang idinaan sa pagbubulag-bulagan ng mga kasabwat ng nasa kapangyarihan at hindi ito matatapos kung walang gagawin ang taumbayan.

Kaya hinihikayat ngayon ang mamamayan na sama-samang tiyakin ang isang tunay na demokratikong proseso. Dahil kung ang mga pinunong siyang hindi karapat-dapat ang mauupo – walang ibang talo sa halalan ito, kundi ang taumbayang naghahangad ng mga repormang tunay na maglilingkod sa interes ng nakararami.

ILANTAD AT LABANAN ANG HOCUS PCOS!

ISULONG ANG MALINIS AT TAPAT NA HALALAN!

PRESS RELEASE

MAY 15, 2013

DAVAO CITY – As reports of transmission failures continue to barrage its hotlines as of midday today, the poll watchdog Kontra Daya in Southern Mindanao expressed alarm over fraudulent activities happening with the automation of the poll system.

The group, after having documented voluminous reports of glitches in the Automated Election System (AES) in the polls and even during the final testing and sealing (FTS) of PCOS machines last Monday, said it cannot trust the credibility of the results of the automated  elections.

“The transmission of results is one of the most crucial parts of the AES since it is very difficult to monitor the electronic data being sent in the airwaves. Transmission of election results was neglected during the FTS. Now we fear that it is not impossible that the yet untransmitted results could be used to either pad or slash votes,” said Krista Melgarejo, convener of Kontra Daya- Mindanao.

Melgarejo criticized the Comelec for not being transparent with the source code, which the group claimed to be very significant in providing safeguard for the AES. She added that the transmission problem is just one among the election-related irregularities documented by their group.

Kontra Daya shared that as of 1:30PM yesterday, 18 hours after the polls closed, 91 precincts in Davao City have not yet successfully transmitted results. In some areas in Tagum, Davao del Sur, Cotabato City and North Cotabato, transmission also failed after several tries.

“Among other problems, we deplore the massive vote buying in Davao Region. Also most appalling is the  use of disaster funds in the  electoral bids of incumbent officials in Davao Oriental, engagement of the military in partisan politics, militarization and harassments. Trends showed that fraudulent practices involve ballot switching, ballot rejection, and the old style use of  flying voters, pre-shaded ballots, among others.  Cases of violence include killings, bombings and bomb threats. Many disenfranchised voters share this view. Given these, we in Kontra Daya doubt the integrity of the AES results. The Comelec cannot just ignore all these election-related irregularities and claim that the election is generally successful,” said Melgarejo.

“Even a single vote disenfranchised is already one citizen denied of his right of suffrage,” added Melgarejo who stressed the importance of ensuring the reliability and sanctity of the AES.

In a statement posted in its website, Kontra Daya national office cited the questionable canvass results released by PPCRV-KBP last night showing bloated figures of votes with respect to the number of precincts canvassed.

“As the electoral count continues, questionable results yielded by the PPCRV-KBP’s canvassing servers underscore the problems with the Smartmatic Automated Election System (AES).  Without the benefit of public disclosure of the AES source code and thorough pre-testing, these statistically wrong results put the whole canvassing of votes into serious question.  Any results from hereon are now questionable,” reads the statement.

Melgarejo urged the people to engage in active scrutiny of the election results given the irregularities observed.

“We have enough reason to be highly alarmed and skeptical of the results of the AES. If we truly value our votes and consider them sacred, we should demand accountability from the Comelec and Smartmatic and the Aquino administration. A manual count is in order given the overwhelming failure of the PCOS,” concluded Melgarejo.###

For reference:

Krista Iris Melgarejo

Convener

Kontra Daya SMR

Press statement

May 16, 2013

References: Fr. Joe Dizon , Dr. Gani Tapang

As expected, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) hailed the just concluded 2013 mid-term polls as a success and a validation of the automated election system (AES) that relies on the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines. Like in 2010, when the AES was first used in the national elections, poll officials underscore the alleged “speed” with which results are canvassed, consolidated and released to the public as an unmistakable proof of the success of the system. According to the Comelec and its citizen’s arm Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the 2013 automated polls were allegedly an improvement compared to those held in 2010. According to them, the incidence of PCOS failures has been reduced by half.

We strongly disagree. The 2013 elections again showcased the long-festering problems with the Philippine electoral system: from the basic problems of vote-buying, violence, and  elite domination, to the malfunctioning/failed PCOS machines, disenfranchisement and voter discouragement, problematic and slow transmission of results, and the lack of transparency and integrity in the results.

We believe that a quick tally does not necessarily translate to clean elections, nor does this conceal the serious flaws of the AES designed and controlled by private foreign vendors led by Smartmatic International Corp. And with the latest developments, we can also see that the transmission of results and completion of the canvassing is in fact much slower than what was earlier claimed by Comelec and Smartmatic.

From the onset, we have ardently questioned the use of PCOS technology in reading and counting our votes because it lacks the basic requirements of transparency and verifiability.

This fundamental defect of the PCOS AES has been aggravated when the Comelec failed to implement the basic security safeguards mandated under R.A. 9369 or the Poll Automation Law, particularly the review of the PCOS source code by political parties and citizen’s groups prior to the elections. This was supposed to ensure the trustworthiness of the software that will read and count our votes. But because the AES relies on unaccountable foreign firms, the country was held hostage by the corporate dispute between Smartmatic, the vendor of the PCOS machines, and Dominion Voting Systems, the patent owner of the source code. The so-called PCOS “source code review” that was supposedly started days before the polls was worthless in terms of ensuring the integrity of the machines. It was nothing but a publicity stunt by Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. in a vain attempt to silence critics.

The PPCRV quick count fiasco meanwhile showed bloated results during the early stages of the transmission of votes,  and affirmed and heightened the fears of massive and systematic fraud under the Smartmatic-controlled AES. To correct the blunder, which PPCRV attributed to “formatting error”, Smartmatic had to step in and tweak the system, underlining how the foreign firm controls practically every aspect of the elections. That they can intervene anytime during the voting and consolidation process just heightens suspicion.

The entire election day also was marred with numerous PCOS problems ranging from failure to initialize, ballot rejection and unexplained shutdown, among others. In some cases, election inspectors had to be creative just to fix the technical problems encountered by the machines. Odd sights such as election inspectors using broomsticks to help the PCOS machine accept the ballots, ironing damp ballots or trimming ballots so they will fit into the machine were common throughout the country. PCOS problems resulted in long queues and overcrowded precincts that discouraged a number of voters. These cases were conveniently excluded by the Comelec and PPCRV in their claim that PCOS problems had been reduced by half and merely referred to PCOS machines that totally broke down and had to be replaced. They did not even include those machines that required replacement but were never attended to.
Serious as these issues are, we are still just scratching the surface of what ails our elections. Underlying the PCOS problems and the entire AES is the fact that our elections are structurally undemocratic and still decided by guns, goons and gold. Political clans and the economic elite still lord it over the electoral system, leaving the public with practically no option but to choose from among the same families and groups over and over again. Even the party list system which is supposed to be for the marginalized and under-represented has been hijacked by these families and groups, further narrowing the already very limited space for those the poor.

The poverty of the people is taken advantage of by traditional politicians who continue to engage in patronage politics and vote buying to perpetuate their rule. For these political dynasties and groups, government position means more opportunities to enrich themselves and protect their economic interests and those of their patrons, and thus will do every trick in the book to stay or be in power. Modernizing the voting process through the use of technology will not necessarily solve these fundamental problems. Unfortunately, the privatized and foreign-controlled AES only creates more opportunities for the ruling elite to engage in manipulation and fraud to win government positions.

We need basic reforms in our electoral system. While automation is not necessarily wrong, we reiterate that we have to junk the flawed AES imposed on us by the Comelec and its foreign partners. The expensive and untrustworthy PCOS technology of Smartmatic must be abandoned and should no longer be used in the 2016 national elections. Instead, we must immediately develop local technology and harness and maximize the country’s vibrant IT community. In the past, there were already indigenous and less expensive automation systems that were offered as alternative to PCOS but outrightly dismissed by the Comelec in favor of the multi-billion peso contracts with Smartmatic and other private, foreign firms. Finally, as part of the genuine electoral reforms that we need to pursue, the Comelec and Smartmatic must be held accountable for blatantly and grossly subverting our right as a people to democratic, transparent and credible elections. ###

In Calinog, earlier reports said that 10 PCOS machines failed in different precincts. PCOS failure was also reported in Barangay Poblacion, San Enrique (clustered precincts 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A) and in Barangay Tambunac and Camiri in San Enrique town.  Similarly, faulty machines also affected voting in precinct 0926-A in Fundidor, Molo.

Lawyer Eldrid Antiquera, a voter of precinct 505 at Iloilo National High School in Bgy. San Vicente, Jaro said the PCOS machine bogged down, causing much delays in the voting their precinct.

In Miagao, some barangays experienced power outages, reported Mario Gelongo. This added to the various cases of faulty PCOS machines reported in San Fernando Elementary School and in Oton, Barangay Sambaludad.

Blank ballots in Barangay Laag, Tabungan and San Rafael, Tigbauan, as well as in Bugasong, Antique and in Lacayon, Rombolon were switched while malfunctioned PCOS machine in Barangay Morsillas, Tubungan was also reported.

Meanwhile, ballots from Batad were cut to fit the PCOS machine.

Meanwhile, lawyer Modesto Mamon of UNA complained that his leaders were harassed in Montemagapa, Janiuay. He reported that the barangay chairman and his constituents were carrying weapons.

Voters from Baranga Zone 4, Sta. Barbara complained the person assisting with the PCOS machine took their ballots even if they were not yet completely shaded.

An incident of harassment (poking of armalite rifle) was reported involving a bodyguard of a mayoral candidate in Buenavista, Guimaras.  The victim was identified as Larry Perano from New Poblacion.

In one precinct in Calapan, Mindoro Oriental, the machine only accepted 93 ballots.#