The Commission on Elections said it will receive the international certification for its Automated Election System before the end of the month.
Comelec chairman George Garcia said the certification, which would cover transmission, voting machines, and internet voting, would serve as proof the election processes are operating “properly, securely and accurately.”
Earlier, Senator Risa Hontiveros flagged Comelec’s lack of international certification more than two months before the May 12 midterm elections.
Hontiveros called on the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the AES to look into the issue.
“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,” the senator said.
In previous elections, Comelec secured international certification just days before the elections but only for transmission and the voting machines and not for internet voting, which will be implemented for overseas Filipino voters for the first time this year.
The international certifier is scheduled to arrive in the country on Monday to witness the sealing of the election source code, Comelec said.
As this developed, the Department of Foreign Affairs on Saturday said Comelec’s decision to reschedule the pre-enrollment period for the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) is “proof of its commitment to safeguard the integrity of overseas elections. “
Comelec had initially set the pre-enrollment period for OVCS from March 10 to 20. Pre-enrollment is a requirement for registered overseas Filipino voters before they can participate in the overseas voting period which will run from April 13 to May 12 (Philippine Standard Time).
According to Comelec’s final list of specific overseas voting methods, 77 out of 93 Philippine posts abroad will adopt the OVCS or internet voting.
Meanwhile, 16 Philippine embassies and consulates general will use automated counting machines (ACMs).
“The Department hopes Comelec’s decision for postponement shall enable it to ensure that the OVCS passes all the testing and certification required by Republic Act 9369, the Election Automation Law of 2007, prior to its launch,” the DFA said.