Hold on a second!

It seems not everyone was pleased about the recently concluded automated elections. Neither were they convinced that the system cannot be compromised, and that cheating cannot occur.

Several candidates have come forward (yes, only now) to divulge that there were occasions where they were offered victories in the elections in exchange for large (of course) amounts of money.

Did I mention that all of those coming forward have lost in their respective areas? So after days of lauding and praising the country's first fully automated elections, the same system is now suspect and the subject of a congressional inquiry.

Apparently there are ways to compromise the system, particularly the PCOS machines and flash cards. According to whistleblowers who have surfaced (yes, only now), "operators" were making the rounds days before the elections, offering definite victories to candidates who would pay their price.

Others have come out to say that flash cards were already pre-programmed with specific winners.

Others claim that turning the machines on and off would erase votes already cast and stored in them, which is why votes just disappeared. Techniques varied as the days after the elections went by. From the believable to the absurd.

The bottom line is proof. This is what both Comelec and Smartmatic-TIM keep on saying, as they stand by the system that made them overnight sensations. As it should be, most especially in the shadow of the "Hello Garci" scandal that marred the 2004 elections.

Poll fraud is a serious offense, or so we keep on saying. When Congress convenes to start the canvassing of votes, all those with proof of poll fraud should make good their cases if anything should be done about it. The burden of proof lies with those making the allegations. It is also the duty of the Comelec to answer these allegations and start investigating if indeed poll fraud did take place last May 10.

It may seem that the sudden euphoria felt right after the elections regarding automation may be short-lived, followed by a protracted period of complaints and investigations. It may well be a case of 'it was fun while it lasted'. I sincerely hope not.