The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Thursday that results for the May 12, 2025 elections will be transmitted only after voting hours to address concerns about hacking and allegations of early transmissions.
Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia emphasized that all automated counting machines (ACMs) and servers are programmed to prevent result transmission before 7 p.m.
“Ang mga makina ay hindi makakapag-transmit ng results…nang walang 7 p.m.,” Garcia said, ensuring that all consolidation systems and servers, including those for watchdogs like PPCRV and NAMFREL, as well as for majority and minority parties, will not accept results before this time.
Upgraded Election System
Comelec has partnered with South Korean firm Miru Systems under a ₱17.99 billion contract for the automated election system (AES), which includes leasing 110,000 new ACMs equipped with enhanced features.
The new ACMs include:
- Three-day battery life to ensure functionality in power outages.
- Immediate printing of election returns (ERs) before transmission, ensuring watchdogs and political parties have copies before electronic results are sent.
Transparency and Hacking Prevention
Garcia reiterated that hacking attempts would be futile since copies of results will already be available to authorized parties before transmission.
“Hinding-hindi magkakaroon ng hacking sapagkat para ma-hack mo, dapat wala pang available na kopya…Ngayon po available na agad ang kopya bago pa man mag-transmit ng results,” he explained.
To enhance transparency, Comelec has also introduced new measures:
- All ballot images will be shown to watchers, who will be allowed to take photos and videos.
- Results will be displayed to ensure accuracy before transmission.
Election Period Begins January 12
The election period for the 2025 polls officially starts on January 12, 2025, with all systems and procedures in place to ensure a secure, transparent, and reliable election process.