The Supreme Court has submitted for resolution the petition of former Sen. Richard Gordon asking the high court to compel the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to issue voting receipts for the May 9 elections.
This after the high court denied the motion for extension filed by the Comelec.
Gordon in his petition said the poll body should enforce Section 7 (e) of Republic Act No. 9369 or the Automated Election Law, which states that the Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail or VVPAT is one of the minimum system capabilities of the automated election system and a major security feature of the vote-counting machines.
Gordon explained that the VVPAT allowed voters to confirm whether or not the machine cast the vote correctly based on their choice, thereby ensuring the integrity of the elections.
READ: Gordon to SC: Compel Comelec to issue vote receipts
He added that that VVPAT was a “critical and indispensable” security feature of the automated voting machine.
Gordon said the Comelec must not be allowed to violate the law as it did in the 2010 and 2013 elections, adding this was why some questioned the credibility of the automated election system and citing the failure of the poll body to implement safeguards such as presenting the source code for review and disabling the use of digital signatures.
On Feb. 23, the high court gave Comelec five nonextendible days to comment on Gordon’s petition.
READ: SC orders Comelec to comment on receipt issue
Supreme Court’s information chief Theodore Te said this meant the case was up for resolution.
Similar petitions were filed on Monday by Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and last Friday by former Manila City Councilor Greco Belgica.
RELATED STORIES
Issuance of vote receipts pushed
New petition to compel Comelec to issue vote receipts filed in SC
Fearing vote buying, Comelec nixes receipts