Smartmatic Allows PPCRV to Examine Audit Logs

After allegations of data manipulation of Smartmatic, the election technology provider allowed the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) to examine its audit logs.

PPCRV head Henrietta De Villa said that the poll watchdog’s technology department and board of trustees conducted the examination Thursday afternoon.

United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) spokesman Tobias Tiangco complained about an alleged Smartmatic personnel, manipulating the server of the PPCRV. Tiangco said they want the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Smartmatic to explain the delay in the transmission of election results, which left the transparency server stalled at just 69 percent transmission 24 hours after the polls closed on May 13.

With the speculation, UNA filed a manifestation Wednesday with Comelec to defer the partial proclamation of winners in the senatorial elections, amid fears the Comelec count may have been compromised. This, as Comelec sees proclaiming the partial winning senatorial candidates tonight. Comelec, which is sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), was reviewing UNA’s motion and would have decided on the manifestation, early this afternoon.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said that if the motion be granted, there will be no proclamation of the partial winning senatorial candidates until such time they will have all the issues resolved. If the proclamation pushes through, the rest of the winners of the senatorial race could be proclaimed by Friday, Brillantes said.

Meanwhile, Smartmatic Asia President Cesar Flores told reporters that UNA may just show the difference of their own copy of election returns (ER) to that published on the website or by PPCRV, should they want proof of the data manipulation.

Flores also said that the results published by the PPCRV, which it obtained from the transparency server was only a copy of the election returns submitted to the Comelec’s central server.

Team PNoy spokesman Miro Quimbo also expressed concern over the stalled transmission but noted a partial proclamation is necessary at this time following the 2013 elections.

Source: www.inquirer.net, www.abs-cbnnews.com