Victory of 2013 senators now in doubt
November 8, 2014
LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “…Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy…” (Romans 13:13, the Holy Bible).
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VICTORY OF 2013 SENATORS NOW IN DOUBT: More proof, ironically coming from admissions made by Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. of the Commission on Elections himself, shows quite strongly that there could have been massive anomaly in the 2013 senatorial elections, putting in doubt the legality of the proclamation of 12 senators who were supposed to have won in 2013.
This proof, and others of similarly explosive nature, are surfacing before the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee (JCOC) of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which is conducting a hearing on the possible further use of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines in 2016, and on the possibility of using alternative computerized election systems that do not depend solely on PCOS machines.
During the JCOC hearing on September 18, 2014, Brillantes was subjected to a relentless examination by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, and the exchange provided evidence that was, to say the least, sufficient to recall the proclamation of the senators who were proclaimed winners in 2013 by the poll body. In the interest of truth, I will reprint parts of that examination, culled from a report from computer expert and columnist Nelson Celis. Read on:
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BALLOTS CAN CONTAIN MORE VOTES THAN WHAT VOTERS WROTE: “Sen. Alan Cayetano: `….Pero totoo ho ba na apat lang ang binoto pero ang binilang ng makina ay labindalawa…’ Chairman Brillantes: `For the record, puwede hong mangyari…’ Sen. Cayetano: `… puwedeng mangyari sa buong Pilipinas… apat lang ang binoto ng isang tao pero labindalawa po ang bibilangin noong makina?’ Brillantes: `Tama ho iyon!’
“Sen. Cayetano: `Did it only happen, Mr. Chair, in the 2013 or pati 2010?’ Brillantes: `Nakita ho namin iyan sa 2013…Hindi pa ho namin natsi–check na iyong 2010…’ Sen. Cayetano: `… How can… people na nagbabantay… study on their own to see whether it did or it did not affect the results of the 2013 election…?’ Brillantes: `Na-erase na ho ito doon sa ongoing protest cases.’
“Sen. Cayetano: Mr. Chair, sa mga walang protest cases, so maaari din pong may dinagdag…’ Brillantes: `OHO! Tsitsekin din ho natin…’ Sen. Cayetano: `But this puts a cloud on the whole system… But unless you resolve this…’ Brillantes: Tama ho iyon, sir…we are trying to resolve it already… and there are cases pending (where) we are coming out with official report on these items where there are cases where mas marami ho ang nabilang.’
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NO ASSURANCE AGAINST ELECTRONIC “DAGDAG-BAWAS” IN 2016: “Sen. Cayetano: `But in the meantime, Mr. Chair, you are buying the new—you are going towards…’ Brillantes: `It has nothing to do with the PCOS machine… Most PROBABLY tinta ho…’ Sen. Cayetano: `No. But it goes to the heart of whether automation is better than manual.’ Brillantes: `Ah, yes. Each and every deficiency, defect, glitches will always go into the heart.
“Sen. Cayetano: Then… how can we decide on having a manual or automated in 2016 if we can’t assure our people that walang dagdag-bawas… But this is the first time… that I’ve heard the Comelec admit that it could happen…. the protest cases are small compared to 2016, to presidential election. You saw what happened sa `Hello, Garci.’ You saw how the country tumbled, Mr. Chair….
“Sen. Cayetano: `So you mean, Mr. Chair, puwedeng nakaupo ako dito sa Senado hindi naman pala ako binoto ng tao, hindi cheating iyon?’ Brillantes: `… Puwede hong mayroon nagkamali ng kuwan. Iyong makina ho ang may glitch. Makina ho iyon.’
Sen. Cayetano: xxx we have a big problem if that’s going to be the attitude of the Comelec. I want certainty by the time we pass the budget whether or not the system is reliable, Mr. Chair’…”
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