Comelec deposits 1 of 3 poll source codes to BSP

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday deposited in escrow in a highly secured vault at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) one of three source codes for the May 9 polls.

“To ensure that we are complying with Republic Act 9369, we placed the source code of the EMS in a vault where the source codes for the 2010 and 2013 elections were kept,” Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said.

EMS, which pertains to the election management system that will contain the list of candidates and specific information about polling precincts, underwent review and certification on Monday by international firm SLI Global Solutions LLC.

The source codes contain alphanumeric human readable instruction that dictates how the automated election system will operate.

Bautista said two more source codes – for the vote counting machines and the canvassing servers – would be deposited to the BSP on Feb. 9.

According to Comelec Commissioner Christian Robert Lim, the source code was saved in a thumb drive or flash drive, placed in a sealed envelope and kept in a safety deposit box at the BSP.

Bautista and BSP Deputy Governor Vicente Aquino led a group of people who witnessed the placing of the source code in the vault.

Two Comelec officials are holding the two keys to the vault.

The poll body is set to issue a resolution designating who will take custody of the keys.

The Comelec is renting the vault for P1,700 a month.

Lim said the source codes for the 2010 and 2013 elections have not been extracted.

Aquino assured the public that the source codes for the May elections are secured at the BSP.