2019 elections better, more credible than 2016’s

The “simultaneous saving” of election results in vote counting machines (VCMs) and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and Commission on Elections (Comelec) servers wiped out “dagdag-bawas” attempts this year.

In 2016, election returns passed through municipal, city or provincial canvassers, where these were “doctored” before being included in the official Comelec data.

The “simultaneous save” gave PPCRV and Comelec advance information to check tampering of results during transmission. I was also told that for the first time, all VCMs had “individual digital signatures” so transmission from “rogue VCMs’” that proliferated in 2016 was not possible.

Credit goes to Comelec’s opening to public scrutiny all 11 secret “source codes” months before the election. Previously, the poll body showed only three source codes. Because of its openness, this year’s elections are better and more credible than the last.

Comelec, however, should accept blame for the seven-hour delay in the transmission of voting data. A “technical glitch” reportedly affected the transfer protocol file but the main server never missed a transmission. It was a clear failure though on the part of Comelec Chair Sheriff Abbas, Commissioner Marlon Casquejo and others to make the main server “broadcast-ready” as a backup.

During that seven-hour delay, Comelec could have easily switched to the main server for continuous public airing of incoming vote results.

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Can you guess this highly urbanized city with obligations that are 25 percent bigger than its annual budget? Contrary to the defeated mayor’s claims that he had paid off his city’s debts, the city’s general, special education and trust funds showed otherwise.

The incoming mayor, however, believed his predecessor’s claim and, during the campaign, he promised a monthly pension for senior citizens and allowances for public school students. He will now have to review his numbers and consult a very savvy financial adviser to save face before voters. Will he go for tax hikes or loans?

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Mayors-elect in Metro Manila should prevent their predecessors from emptying city coffers through rushed payments for favored contractors/suppliers before they step down.

They should immediately create transition teams to stop these questionable payouts.

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Who is this incoming Metro Manila congressman who spent P45 million in the final days of the campaign period, surprising his “overconfident” and “super-rich” opponent?

Three “loyal” chairs of big barangays within the district received P100,000 from his opponent a week before the elections. The newbie, however, gave them P500,000 each. Even the payment for watchers was five times bigger.

Who is this woman candidate in Manila who spent more than P40 million, hoping to win a seat in the city council? Her large tarpaulins could be seen in plazas in the district where she was running. She also had the support of most local leaders.

But when the results came out, she was very far from the Magic 6 circle. Lesson: Money is not a guarantee that people will vote for you.

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