MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday, March 24, deposited with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) digital media storage devices containing the final software to be used for the 2025 elections.
The Comelec handed over the final trusted build source codes in escrow after it signed the agreement with the BSP on Monday.
The source codes are those of the automated counting machines (ACM), the consolidation and canvassing system (CCS), the election management system (EMS), the secure electronic transmission system (SETS), and the online voting and counting system (OVCS). These four source codes comprise the Automated Elections System (AES).
Per Republic Act No. 9369, or the law authorizing the Comelec to conduct an automated election, the Comelec is required to deposit the source code in escrow inside a highly secured vault at the country’s central bank.
While the escrow agreement signing and depositing of the source codes is largely ceremonial, Comelec Chairman Garcia said it is done publicly to showcase the transparency of the electoral processes to the Filipino public.
“Dito natin minarapat, [na] nasa batas naman, sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas kasi iba ang level ng seguridad dito sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas — para lang mapatunayan natin sa sambayanan [na] protektado ‘yung source code natin,” said Garcia.
(We are doing this here [at the BSP], which is provided by the law anyway, because the security level here is [high] — just so we can assure the public that the source codes are protected.)
The source codes are inside sealed envelopes signed by the Philippine government’s partner international certifier. Before the envelopes were deposited in the BSP vault, Comelec and BSP officials showed them to the media and observers, and placed them inside a lockbox. The officials then placed a paper seal on the locks.
This is the first source code under Miru Systems, the country’s new election system provider.
Garcia said that the source codes may be withdrawn from the BSP in cases such as a congressional order, although this has not happened in the past. They cannot be pulled out for electoral protests either, as the chairman said the “best evidence” for any protests would be the original ballots.
“By taking custody of the source code in compliance with Republic Act No. 9369, the BSP reaffirms not only its legal obligation, plus also its steadfast commitment to supporting clean and transparent elections,” said BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat at the signing ceremony. – Rappler.com
