Brillantes hits Guanzon for ‘reckless’ blast on Smartmatic

Former Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. slammed Comelec Commissioner Ma. Rowena Amelia Guanzon for her supposedly “reckless” tirades against election technology provider Smartmatic following the unauthorized change in the script of the transparency server.

Brillantes, in a statement on his Twitter account on Monday, said Guanzon’s comments against the Venezuelan company—which has since owned up to the unauthorized script tweak—may be a ground for her inhibition once the report of the investigation reaches the full commission for action.

He said Guanzon’s actions project a “disarranged management of the electoral processes.”

“I submit that even assuming, for the sake of argument, that Smartmatic violated the unspecified protocols, it would appear very awkward for any member of the Comelec to be lambasting its very own contracted provider even before the start of any investigation.”

“The manner in which the Comelec commissioner has been relentlessly and recklessly assailing its own contracted provider even before the investigation she is proposing has been commenced, only projects a disarranged management of electoral processes which benefits no one, much less the Comelec itself,” Brillantes said.

The former Comelec chief, who said that he will be representing Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in the canvassing of votes for the vice presidency, maintained that the script tweak was just a “cosmetic change” and that it was “blown out of proportion.”

READ: Comelec says ‘cosmetic’ change in script unnecessary

“I still maintain that if indeed the change was simply cosmetic and that the results were unaffected and the process involved is still admittedly unofficial, the same should not have been blown out of proportion, especially not by the Comelec itself or any of its en banc member,” he said.

He also opined that the change effected in the transparency server script should not have been elevated to the en banc for action.

“There are so many minor, small, and probably insignificant glitches and deficiences that may occur prior to, on, or after election day. And with so many significant matters to be attended to and resolved by the Commission en banc, I sincerely doubt that even small and minor changes need to be elevated to the en banc for appropriate action,” said the former Comelec chief, who supervised the 2013 senatorial and local polls.

Guanzon has publicly slammed Smartmatic, particularly its technician Marlon Garcia, for changing the “?” to “ñ,” which was in the names of some candidates, in the transparency server script on election night without seeking permission first from the en banc.

In fact, the feisty commissioner has written a memorandum directing the full commission to urge Smartmatic Philippines to bar any member of its team from leaving the country pending the investigation on the script tweak. RAM/rga

READ: Guanzon seeks hold departure memo vs Smartmatic personnel