Comelec renews call for stakeholders to join source code review

MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday reiterated its call for parties to submit their applications to participate in the conduct of the source code review of the automated election system (AES) to be used for next year’s elections.

“We once again call on election stakeholders to proactively take part in scrutinizing the technology and studying the system that will be used in the May 9, 2022 polls. This activity is a key component of the Commission on Elections’ commitment in promoting transparency and building public confidence and trust in the electoral process,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a statement.

Jimenez made the call after the poll body received “too few” applications for the measure.

Pursuant to Comelec Resolution No. 10712, the deadline for submission of applications is on Sept. 10.

The following parties, groups, and associations may field a qualified reviewer for the Local Source Code Review (LSCR):

— Political parties or coalition of parties duly registered and/or accredited by the Comelec, including parties and organizations registered under the Omnibus Election Code and the Party-List System of Representation;

— Legitimate organizations or groups accredited by the Comelec, including previously accredited citizens arms in the 2019 national and local elections

— Information technology (IT) groups known and recognized as existing in the IT community, recommended by the Comelec Advisory Council and/or the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Also qualified to apply are civil society organizations/associations known for their involvement in election reform activities as may be determined by the Comelec, or members of the Comelec Advisory Council and Joint Congressional Oversight Committee.

The online application form for the LSCR observer’s accreditation form may be accessed through this link: https://forms.office.com/r/du78h28jQP

Republic Act 9369 or the Poll Automation Law mandates the poll body to make the source code of the AES technology available and open to any interested party or group for their own review.

The source code is defined as the human-readable instructions that define what a piece of computer equipment will do.