Poll Chief Sixto Brillantes called for a dialog with all election stakeholders, especially the high court petitioners and critics of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, then urged them to “move on” and help the Commission on Elections (Comelec) accomplish its common goal of ensuring “successful” elections and for the critics to stop their relentless attacks through the media.
The bigger problem is that the Comelec, while wanting a stop to criticisms against the Smartmatic PCOS machines and the poll body itself, isn’t coming clean with the public and its critics in virtually everything that has been criticized.
Brillantes announced that an inspection of 82,000 PCOS machines will be done at the warehouse of Smartmatic in Laguna, for the critics to see the condition of the machines.
But surely, an inspection of the PCOS machines hardly guarantees that the machines are no longer vulnerable to easy election fraud.
This inspection and even trial runs with the Smartmatic machines in 2010, failed to bring about clean and credible elections.
It is verifiable fact that there was testing of the machines with media present, along with inspections galore of the PCOS machines, which were crowed about as being in perfect shape, with hardly any room for errors.
But what happened? There was instant switching of program discs just a few days before election date. The dates were all shot as were the number of votes. There were many other instances when the machines bogged down and where, in some places, the machines failed to register the votes.
How too, explain the fact that there were at least 60 PCOS machines found in a certain house outside Metro Manila, with an operator there? Then, even the call center hired complained that PCOS votes were not coming in, nor reported.
The fact is that there exists an open port in the machines that allows any knowledgeable cheats to send out fake results, which had already occurred in 2010. Moreover, the machine itself does not register or show a receipt for the voter, for that voter to be able to see whether his vote was really in, and counted, since all the Smartmatic machines do is to show onscreen, after the voters submit their vote into the machine, merely says “congratulations.”
Even automated bank machines give out a receipt for withdrawals, but not the Smartmatic machines. So how can the voters be assured if the candidates for whom they voted, really had their votes registered accurately, and that these have been counted properly and accurately, if there are no receipts of their votes?
Issuing receipts of their votes as well as a certified machine hard copy of ballots could at least be offered as evidence by protesting candidates.
The IT experts that came up with their forensic findings, found a slew of machine errors and glitches, all of which made the machines vulnerable to electronic election fraud — which happened in 2010, no matter what the PCOS-elected Noy says.
Also, what to this day, has not been explained by the Comelec is the fact that even its own IT group had recommended that the poll body should no longer use the PCOS machines for the 2013 polls, as they were vulnerable to fraud, apart from the fact that given the leaps in technology, it would be better for the poll body to lease the machines, instead of purchasing them, especially so as these Smartmatic machines have certainly not performed well in 2010 in bringing about clean, honest and credible polls.
To this day, the Comelec has refused to make public the source code, which IT experts have asked for.
There is doubt that the poll body would do so for 2013.
The truth is, even with a new chairman in the poll body, electoral fraud still reigns supreme in the Comelec, which can hardly be called an independent body, as it takes orders from the executive power that moreover wants a full blown victory of his Liberal Party allies.
It was the Malacañang tenant who made it clear he wants the old PCOS used in 2013.
The Aquino high court obeyed, as Comelec also obeyed.
Useless dialog
- Written by Tribune Editorial
- Saturday, 23 June 2012 00:00
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- 4 comments
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4 comments
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The 2010 PCOS was a nightmare and it is back. It is being sold as a dream by the Comelec today, just as it was so sold by the then Comelec pre-May 2010. The nightmare is that no one knows for sure if cheating took place. We are left with the zombie equivalent of voter prozac. We have to take as maintenance medication the presumed innocence and regularity of our officials and election paraphernalia/services providers. We have no choice. They have their constitutional rights.
Orlando Roncesvalles Saturday, 23 June 2012 23:57 Comment Link -
I think this is a prelude to another hokus PCOS that propelled a misfit to the presidency. I have been reading the critical comments of Ms. Ninez Cacho Olivarez and I totally agree with her misgivings abou the present Malacanang Tenant. who it seems wanted to remain in power in perpetuity. I am not surprised why people no longer believe in the power of the ballot, for just like a festering wound it is full of pus instead of nutrients. It's quite saddening how P-Noy bragged about his crusade against graft and corruption and yet he only points his cudgels to those who are is enemies real or perceived. This so-called "Tuwid na daan" is an expressway to oblivion if P-Noy's minioms, androids and sycophants not to mention political turncoats who hogged the limelight. Finally, I would like to thank this newspaper who opted derail itself from THE YELLOW JOURNALISTS and instead show us the naked truth. Kudos to The Daily Tribune.
Christopher Espiritu Saturday, 23 June 2012 08:08 Comment Link -
Bakit ipinilit ni noynoy at sixto Brilliantes na Pcos na naman ang gamitin,kahit na napaka daming problema na idinulot sa bansa natin ??? at kahit na napaka raming pilipino ang nag oobject,ipipilit pa rin nilka ???SOBRANG OBVIOUS NAMAN YAN, and not one senator or congresman spoke against that ....
tb Saturday, 23 June 2012 04:23 Comment Link
.And to think,na hindi na nag bubunganga si Allan Peter Cayetano, only tells us that his run for Re-election is already in the bag,...HARAP HARAPAN KUNG BABUYIN NILA ANG BANSA NATIN...WE ARE NOW AN ISOLATED COUNTRY,WALA NG GUSTONG MAKIPAG DEAL SA ATIN,AND THAT IS WHAT THIS POLITICAL DYNASTY POLITICIANS ,CRONIES AND THE OLIGARCH WANTS IT BE...para hindi sila masilip ng obang lahi...para tuloy tuloy na nilang gawing Somalia ang bansa natin...PERO NGAYON ?? SILA NA RIN ANG MAY ARI NG KORTE SUPREMA...
.ang gagaling nila dumakdak, and it has been the same families and the recycled people,over over,and yet ???? Look at our people?? most of them are now wallowing in hunger and poverty,but now ?? they dont dare anger their oppressor, dahil alam nila na ipit na ipit na sila...cause they can make their puny little lives more miserable ...As miserable as what they inflicted to Chief justice Corona..., they breached our constituttion...,they violated the law,committed felonious crimes one after another making up ridiculous stories like the Old lady, or it was left by the desk and the impeachment court did admnosihed them, JPE slapped his desk, talked tough and articulately,and told to never do it again,and in the end, they convicted him of something,that is not even an impeahcable offense,if not ridiculous...And that Ladies and Gentlemen is the height of JPE and that impeahcment trial's hypocrisy....People should boycott the electioon,cause i can see that they are already bulldogging their way in...sobrang mali na ang ng yayari sa bansa natin....kawawa naman ang kabtaan natin.. -
May kulang doon sa drawing sa itaas,"Spot the difference" (PCOS machine at garbage bin) dapat isama yung ulo ni Mr. Panot.
asmir Saturday, 23 June 2012 01:25 Comment Link
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