Comelec assures: Results of 2022 polls cannot be manipulated
Comelec commissioner Marlon Casquejo. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Hackers cannot manipulate the results of the elections as the system in place for the polls is secured, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) assured Thursday.
Comelec commissioner Marlon Casquejo gave the assurance following the arrest of three hackers who claimed they could breach the commission’s system and manipulate the outcome of the 2022 elections.
“Kahit ano pang gawin nila (Whatever they do), they cannot manipulate the results of the elections. That is how secure our system [is] when it comes to our elections,” Casquejo said in a press briefing.
“Kahit pa may sinasabing allegations that they are working or getting information from any of the employees of the Comelec, useless po yun,” he added.
(Even if there are allegations that they are working or getting information from any of the employees of the Comelec, that’s useless.)
READ: Arrested hackers got access to Smartmatic from ex-employee who surrendered to NBI — Mancao
Casquejo believes that the hackers arrested were “purely scammers.”
“Itong mga nahuli, they are scammers. Meaning, they are pretending to know the system, pretending they can hack the system when in fact, hindi nila kayang gawin yun. Kahit sino hindi kayang gawin ‘yun,” Casquejo said.
(The arrested hackers are scammers. Meaning, they are pretending to know the system, pretending they can hack the system when in fact, they cannot do that. No one can do that.)
On Thursday, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) Executive Director Undersecretary Cezar Mancao II said that the hackers arrested had claimed to have managed to gain access to registered voters’ data—which includes name and precinct, among others.
READ: Arrested hackers obtained voters’ data, says cybercrime center chief
The hackers were arrested on April 23 after agents from the CICC and Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group posed as clients to buy the supposedly stolen data ahead of the elections.
Aside from interfering with Comelec, the hackers also claimed that they can change the election results by accessing the system of Smartmatic, the country’s automated poll system provider.
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