House body ends poll fraud inquiry
By Charlie V. Manalo 06/04/2010 The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms yesterday suspended its inquiry on allegations of electronic fraud in the country’s first automated polls and instead directed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and equipment supplier Smartmatic to make an inventory on compact flash (CF) cards used in the election including the additional 1,600 CF cards issued to 80 provincial directors of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) during the polls. At the resumption of the committee hearing yesterday, panel chairman Makati Rep. Teddyboy Locsin asked both the Comelec and the operator of the poll automation to submit a report on the status of the 1,600 CF cards issued to the 80 DOST provincial directors. Earlier, the Comelec and Smartmatic admitted having issued each of the directors with 20 CF cards as a contingency measure in case the flash cards used in polling precincts break down in areas where Smartmatic was not able to field technicians. The directors were authorized by the poll body to configure the CFCs, with the program being provided by Smartmatic, in case replacements for the damaged flash cards are needed. The measure was adopted by the poll body supposedly to prevent the voting from being derailed or being delayed unnecessarily. Also, during the hearing, Alagad Party-List Rep. Rodante Marcoleta asked Comelec and Smartmatic officials why the results generated by a PCOS machine showed a Jan. 17 record which he said put into question the integrity of both the machine and the election results. However, despite being prodded by Comelec executive director Jose Tolentino to identify the precinct number and municipality, in which the erroneous date showed, Marcoleta refused do so..... MORE Source: The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100604hed2.html |
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