French firm demonstrates new voter validation system

The wining bidder in the Commission on Election’s (Comelec) controversial Voter Validation System (VVS) project held a media demonstration yesterday to justify the project’s whopping P1 billion cost.

Presided by program manager Alan Sroussi, project manager Laurent Boni and transmission engineer Patrice Peltier, French company Sagem said it can have its registration machines operational between July to September and complete the registration and cleansing of the country’s voters record by yearend.

Sagem will be providing digital cameras, digital fingerprinting devices, and computer software for 2,000 capture stations to be set up nationwide. The Comelec, however, will be the one procuring the computers raising the cost of the entire project to P1.2 billion.

"The computers can be used by Comelec, it will not be exclusively used for the validation. These computers we need can be used in our offices," said Comelec Commissioner Rufino Javier.

Others who witnessed the demonstration were Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos, Commissioners Luzviminda Tancangco, Resurreccion Borra, and Florentino Tuazon.

Abalos personally tested the system, which is expected to sort some 38 million registered voters and collect the pictures and fingerprint of new ones.

Sagem will be providing mobile and fixed data capturing stations nationwide and Sagem engineer Peltier said they can bring the machine even to remote areas marred by lawlessness.

"With enough backing (from military) I do not see any reason why we cannot do that," said Peltier. "Even in case of power outages we can operate for three days. I do not think that even in far-flung areas they can have power outages of more than three days."

Abalos, on the other hand, said he is confident the machines will improve the country’s election system.

"This is fool-proof. We can now prevent flying voters and double registration. Gone are the days when people will doubt the result of our election," he said.

Abalos said a mock election will still be conducted to test the viability of the machines.