Press Release
January 16, 2022

IMEE: CONGRESS MUST JOIN FORCES TO PREVENT FAILURE OF ELECTIONS

Senator Imee Marcos has called for a joint congressional oversight committee (JCOC) to convene as soon as possible, amid rumors that the country's automated election system (AES) has been hacked and may lead to a failure of elections.

Marcos's call as chairman of the Senate committee on electoral reforms and people's participation follows a Senate resolution that she filed last week to investigate the conflicting media scoop and government denial that personal data privacy and cybersecurity controls in Commission on Elections (Comelec) servers were breached the past weekend.

Among the government agencies and private groups that the Marcos committee has lined up to attend the upcoming hearing are the Comelec, the National Privacy Commission, the Department of Information and Communications Technology's Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (DICT-CICC), the National Bureau of Investigation Cybercrime Division, the Manila Bulletin, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente), Democracy Watch, and Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) / AES Watch.

"I fear a failure of elections could be declared and a Constitutional crisis would arise if our election system has indeed been severely compromised. A record number of 67 million registered Filipino voters may be deprived of their right to elect a new president, vice president, and Congress in May," Marcos said.

"Despite the uncertainty, we hang on to President Duterte's promise during last month's global Summit for Democracy that honest, peaceful, credible, and free elections will push through," she added.

Under the Omnibus Election Code, a failure of elections can be declared due to fraud. Republic Act 7166 also states that the "causes for the declaration of a failure of election may occur before or after the casting of votes or on the day of the election."

Hackers claim to have gained access to 60 gigabytes of sensitive AES data on Comelec personnel, local and overseas Filipino voters, vote counting machines, and voting precincts, but the Comelec contends that its servers remain secure.

"The vast degree of hacking reportedly involved has fanned rumors that certain local and foreign groups are flirting with a failure of elections scenario. The JCOC and the electoral reforms committee will get to the bottom of this," Marcos assured.

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IMEE: KONGRESO DAPAT MAGKAPIT-BISIG LABAN SA FAILURE OF ELECTIONS

Nanawagan si Senador Imee Marcos na imbestigahan ng dalawang kapulungan ng Kongreso sa madaling panahon ang umuugong na na-hack ang automated election system (AES) ng bansa na maaaring mauwi sa senaryong failure of elections.

Ipinanawagan ito ni Marcos bilang chairman ng Senate committee on electoral reforms and people's participation kasunod ng inihain niyang Senate resolution para imbestigahan ang iskup ng media na itinanggi naman ng gobyerno na lubhang nakompromiso ang personal data privacy at cybersecurity controls ng Commission on Elections noong weekend.

Kabilang sa mga ipatatawag ni Marcos na dumalo sa pagdinig ang Comelec, National Privacy Commission, Department of Information and Communications Technology Cybercrime Investigation And Coordinating Center (DICT-CICC), National Bureau of Investigation Cybercrime Division, Manila Bulletin, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente), Democracy Watch, at Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) /AES Watch.

"Nangangamba akong mangyari ang failure of elections at ang magreresultang krisis sa Konstitusyon kapag pinagkaitan ang 67 milyong Pinoy ng kanilang tsansa na makapaghalal ng bagong presidente, bise-presidente, at Kongreso sa Mayo," ani Marcos.

"Sa gitna nito, naniniwala at umaasa kami sa pangako ni Pangulong Duterte sa nakaraang global Summit for Democracy na matutuloy ang tapat, payapa, may kredibilidad at malayang eleksyon," dagdag ng senadora.

Sa ilalim ng Omnibus Election pwedeng ideklara ang failure of elections dahil sa fraud o panloloko. Ayon din sa Republic Act 7166, ang mga dahilan para sa failure of election ay maaring mangyari bago pa man, sa gitna ng, o pagkatapos ng pagbilang ng mga balota.

Ayon sa mga hacker nagkaroon sila ng access sa 60 gigabytes ng sensitibong AES data ukol sa mga tauhan ng Comelec, mga lokal at mga Pilipinong botante sa abroad, gayundin sa mga voting machine at mga voting precincts, pero tiniyak naman ng Comelec na ligtas pa rin ang kanilang mga server.

"Sa laki ng pag-hack na naiulat, umuugong na may mga lokal at dayuhang grupo daw na gustong maitulak ang failure of elections. Titiyakin ng JCOC at ng electoral reforms committee na ugatin ang pinagmulan nito," paniniguro ni Marcos.

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