The Commission on Elections conducted field tests in various parts of the country and abroad, including in the United States, in preparation for the 2025 mid-term polls.
The poll body said the field test is part of the user acceptance test of the Automated Counting Machine (ACM), Consolidation and Canvassing System (CCS), Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS), and transmission hardware and applications.
The Comelec also held simultaneous field tests in Japan, Middle East and Africa, United Arab Emirates and in Athens, Greece for postal and online voting for the first time in the upcoming local and national elections next year.
Comelec Information Technology Department Director Eden Bolo said the field tests are part of the security measures of the poll body to fight off possible hacking attempts.
“There’s no such thing as a system that’s completely hack-proof. What we do, given the prevalence of hacking and hacking attempts nowadays, is to implement the best possible security measures and remain vigilant in enforcing them,” Bolo said.
Meanwhile, Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Ferdinand Maceda Jr. said that online voting will cut the spending cost of the poll body from P428 million to only P112 million.
“This is a highly transparent process. The moment the results are transmitted, concerns about manipulation can be addressed,” said Maceda.
He added local experts and citizen arms such as the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), and the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) will oversee the local source code review.
