Smartmatic admits rescanned ballots, data change probable in PCOS


By Charlie V. Manalo
06/09/2010 THE DAILY TRIBUNE

House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms chairman Makati Rep. Teddyboy Locsin yesterday backtracked on his earlier statement clearing Smartmatic on the allegations of poll fraud saying it is too early to absolve the PCOS machines supplier from any wrongdoing.
At the conclusion of the House probe into reports of massive cheating in the country’s first automated polls, Locsin said that with Smartmatic not being consistent in its statements, he cannot help but suspect that Smartmatic may also be involved in the electoral fraud one way or another.
“No. you can’t make that expectation (of clearing Smartmatic) until I look at the evidence and testimonies,” Locsin said when asked if he was ready to clear Smartmatic. “It cannot be. You gave answers to those questions for weeks. If your answers keep changing, this is the sign of something.”
Locsin Jr. admitted that the automated election system is
“susceptible” to cheating, explaining that cheating in the last elections cannot be ruled out, with the admission of Smartmatic that ballots can be rescanned as well as the data stored in the same compact flash (CF) cards.
Manipulation of votes favoring certain candidates with the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) participation is very probable, Locsin said.
Last week, after the House panel conducted an ocular inspection at the Smartmatic plant in Cabuyao, Laguna, Locsin declared he was satisfied with the PCOS machines supplier’s explanation and demonstration.
“When we went to Cabuyao visit I asked them a summary and the critics said of automation, they passed the test, now we will see about the rest of the testimonies, the consistencies of the reasoning, which is the transcript,” said Locsin.
Locsin also cited the case of Biliran Rep. Glen Chong, which he said was the best testimony on the alleged cheating. While Chong lost by mere 600 votes to his rival, the solon presented documentary evidence such as election returns (ERs) which showed huge discrepancies.
Locsin said he would finish his committee report on the probe, adding the next Congress might use as basis on whether to push forward with the automated election or revert to manual.
“We will know. My report is just one aspect how it will be used by 15th Congress plus other data because they will continue to open other things. We will determine the fate of the automated elections. Then there are the barangay elections, there is a suggestions that we use shaded ballots although it will be counted manually,” said Locsin.
“I expect to finish the report, hope soon. I write fast and I’m very smart, plus I have a very good staff.”
In a related development, the policy research institution, Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), is seeking the release of at least 22 documents related to the Automated Election System (AES) prepared and implemented for the May 10, 2010 national synchronized polls
CenPEG said “various stakeholders (need) to help find answers to many questions that affect the credibility of the elections, especially with regard to some unusual incidences occurring with the PCOS (precinct count optical scan) machines of the Smartmatic-propelled automated system.
“An objective study can only be done if pertinent data and information, relevant to the study at hand, shall be accessible and made available to researchers and scholars, so that a no-nonsense body of knowledge can be developed in the interest of public service and good governance,” CenPEG added, as it also pledged confidentiality and a copy of the final draft of the study and recommendations.
The documents CenPEG is asking for are: SysTest full report; source code walkthrough plan; source code of the PCOS program; source code
of the CCS programs; file formats of all data files used or produced by the PCOS program; file formats of all data files used or produced by the CCS program; public keys used by all the PCOS computers; public keys used by all the CCS computers; user manual of the PCOS program; user manual of the CCS program; Smartmatic-Comelec contract with the complete annexes; finance and budget plan of the AES-Smartmatic; copy of the Smartmatic Voters’ Education contract; contract between Smartmatic and the Dominion Voting Systems; contract on transmission and deployment plan of the transmission facilities; report on the PCOS transmission on May 10 and thereafter; report on the customization; old ballot faces (national and local) matching the faulty CF cards; new ballot faces (national and local) actually used for the May 10 elections; report on the training of BEIs and technicians; inventory of compact flash cards used in the final testing and sealing; and the re-configured CF cards for May 10.
The Liberal Party, meanwhile debunked claims that Senator Mar Roxas lost the vice-presidential race in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) because of his consistent position against the Memorandum of Agreement-Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD) between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
LP Director General Chito Gascon reiterated Roxas could have been a victim of the same notorious ‘dagdag bawas’ (vote shaving and padding) scheme which made numerous candidates in past national elections win.
Gascon insisted it was not Roxas’ resistance to the MoA-AD that caused him the ARMM votes but a possible illegal manipulation scheme that saw the senator’s votes shaved and his rival’s votes padded. “We see today the same disturbing trends in 2004 in the same places in ARMM,” he stressed.
He pointed out the following facts: A turnout of almost 98 percent in 578 of 2,558 PCOS machines in ARMM; A turnout of over 97 percent in 180 of 881 machines in Lanao Del Sur where the provincial turnout is only 76.26 percent; A 100 percent turnout in clustered precincts in Tagoloan II, Lanao Del Sur with all the voters voting for Binay; A turnout of over 98 percent in 186 of 769 machines in Maguindanao where the provincial turnout is only 69.51 percent.; A 99 percent turnout in clustered precincts in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao with all votes going for Binay; An election return from a clustered precinct in Maguindanao clearly showed that polls closed at 6 in the morning on Election Day.
The LP said that reports indicated that elections did not happen in entire towns in Lanao Del Sur but the PCOS machines in such places still transmitted supposed election results.
Gascon added: “The fact remains that the disturbing trends in the questionable election results are found in ARMM where Binay won by a wide margin with unusually high turnouts. With Tribune wires
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE??

The most drammatic success in our history as a young province was the recent May 14 election. Our Biliran voters in exercising their right to vote expressed their sentiments in a mature and valiant manner.

And so, the result of the latest election, contained a simple but very poweful message: " if you respect my peso....
...(more)

Fathers, victims of genocidation

The whole world today celebrates FATHER’S DAY. The world dedicates a especial day to honor fathers as fathers are one of the most important influences in the lives of children, and their unconditional love is an indispensable anchor of certainty and strength.

However, as children in the world rejoice with their respective father, it is sad to contemplate that here in Biliran, 2 families have mourned because of the brutal killing of their father. Their lives had not been spared from any political problems that provide great havoc in our peaceful place. One of the many unfortunate, regrettable aspects of the tragic events of June 7th, 2008 besides the fact that two people have lost their lives. more

STATEMENT OF TRUTH

REGARDING THE PERSON OF STEPHEN GREINKE AND HIS MALICIOUS ACCUSATIONS AGAINST THE BISHOP OF NAVAL

We, the Clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Naval, would like to express our strongest condemnation to the lies peddled by Stephen Greinke against the bishop of Naval, the Most Rev. Filomeno G. Bactol, D.D.

Last January 2, 2008, Stephen Greinke, in a nationally televised network, has accused the bishop of sexually molesting young boys. We are aghast at this accusation because the bishop is a person of integrity whose ministry of 40 years (15 years in the seminary as formator, 7 years as Pastor, and 18 years as Bishop of Naval) has never been enmeshed in any controversy, much less scandal. We are appalled even more at the brazermess of Greinke as to impute upon the good name of the bishop the very same crime he was accused of doing against innocent young boys in the very Association he bas come to found, purportedly to proclaim the love of God only to find out it has become a trap for his sexual perversions! Such lies therefore that he has concocted can anly come from a heart whose hatred is as deep as his own twisted understanding of what is good and moral. ..... more

GAS PRICE

Join the resistance! I hear we are going to hit close to $1.50 a litre by summer and it might possibly go higher! Want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some intelligent, united action. Jun Paterno offered this good idea. This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain day" campaign that was going around earlier! The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by refusing to buy gas. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them. BUT, whoever thought of this idea has come up with a plan that can really work. Please read on and join with us! By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at about $.79/litre is super cheap. Me too! It is currently $1.10 for regular unleaded in my town. Now that the oil companies and the OPEC ... more

From Advent through Christmas to New Year - a message from biliranevent.com


The Advent season is a special time in our Christian community and a perfect time to preparation to celebrate for the birthday of Christ. As we once again prepare to celebrate the feast of Christmas, we are reminded of God’s great love for us. More importantly, the feast of Christmas is a very special occasion and a time for us not only to reflect on Jesus’ love for us but also to respond to his love by demonstrating love for our fellow men and women. May the expressions of goodwill and the gifts that we exchange be the outward manifestation of that love. more...

CEBUANO KO BAI! ( author unknown)

I am not a Filipino, never considered myself one a long time ago. I am a Cebuano and my late father once said: "There's a whale of a difference between the two". And that distinction between the Cebuano and Filipino is never more pronounced than the result of the 2001 Senatorial Elections. The election results nationwide from Manila to Mindanao showed an even trend, far below the expectations of the anti-Erap advocates. Can you believe that? After we've been screwed in the ass by a pea-brained Tagawg! But the Cebuanos voted differently. We Cebuanos voted with the same clear sightedness and maturity that scared the shit out of Marcos and his KBL lap dogs who despite massive cheating and terrorism in collusion with his Ilocano Generals were defeated by the Pusyon Bisaya during the Parliamentary Elections in the seventies. We Cebuanos have a better sense of truth and justice and we have always been the vanguards against tyranny and oppression since 1521 when Chief Lapu-lapu whacked Magellan.( more )
VISITORS SITE STATS --" "--- Since July 19,2007