IMEE: ALL 2022 ELECTION RETURNS MUST HAVE DIGITAL SIGNATURES TO PREVENT FRAUD

Senator Imee Marcos said there is no longer any reason for the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to delay the registration of thousands of teachers to be given personal digital signatures in time for the May 2022 elections.

Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on electoral reforms and people's participation, said the use of personal digital signatures promised but not put in place in the 2016 and 2019 elections will dispel fears that Smartmatic machines are poised to manipulate election results next year.

"Do machines have free will? I trust our teachers far more than Smartmatic machines," Marcos said.

Marcos explained that the DICT's hard-copy requirements on teachers were delaying the registration for personal digital signatures, citing that the Department of Education (DepEd) had already proposed faster bulk processing of teachers' verified personal data by allowing the online submission of Excel or CSR (Corel binary script) files.

"The joke's on us - June is our national ICT month, but there's still little to celebrate. I think the most practical shortcut will be to piggyback on DepEd's tried and tested system of registering and monitoring over 900,000 teachers and employees," Marcos recommended.

Doing so could accomplish the registration for personal digital signatures by July, three months earlier than the DICT's September 2021 to January 2022 schedule, Marcos added.

Only machine digital signatures have been used since elections were automated in 2010, although the Omnibus Election Code states that teachers serving on the board of election inspectors should verify and sign the election returns.

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(Tagalog version)

IMEE: KERING-KERI NATIN ANG DIGITAL SIGNATURES SA MAYO 2022!

Binigyang-diin ni Senador Imee Marcos na wala nang lusot ang Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) para hindi buuin ang rehistrasyon ng libo-libong mga guro na bibigyan ng personal digital signatures para patunayan ang bilang ng mga boto sa Mayo 2022.

"Nakahanap na tayo ng solusyon. Kering-keri na natin ito!" ikinatuwang sabihin ni Marcos.

Paliwanag ni Marcos, chairman ng Senate committee on electoral reforms and people's participation, naaantala lamang ang rehistrasyon para sa mga digital signatures dahil sa mga DICT hard-copy requirements sa mga guro, gayong ipinanukala na ng Department of Education (DepEd) ang bultuhang pagpoproseso ng verified personal data ng mga guro sa pamamagitan ng pagsusumite sa online ng Excel o CSR (Corel binary script ) files.

Limang taon nang naaantala ang pag-rehistro sa mga guro para makakuha ng personal digital signatures na ipinangakong gagamitin sa 2016 at 2019 elections na di naman natupad.

Ani Marcos, ang personal digital signatures ang papawi ng takot na imamanipula ng Smartmatic ang resulta ng eleksyon sa susunod na taon.

"May kusang-loob ba ang mga makina? Mas may tiwala ako sa mga guro kaysa mga Smartmatic machines," diin ni Marcos.

"Ang solusyon ay makisakay na lang ang DICT sa DepEd sa nakasanayan nang pagpaparehistro at pagmomonitor sa kanilang 900,000 empleyado, "rekomendasyon ni Marcos.

Sa pamamagitan nito, matatapos ang rehistrasyon para sa mga personal digital signature sa Hulyo, na tatlong buwang mas maaga sa iskedyul ng DICT na mula Setyembre hanggang Enero, dagdag pa ni Marcos.

Tanging ang mga machine digital signature ang nagamit mula noong naging automated o computerized ang mga eleksyon noong 2010, bagamat isinasaad ng Omnibus Election Code na kailangang pirmado rin ng mga gurong nagsisilbing board of election inspectors ang mga election returns.