Press Release
March 7, 2013

KOKO: "SHOW US THE SOURCE CODE!"

Amid the heated election campaign and hectic preparations for the 2013 polls, Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, PDP Laban President, today challenged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Smartmatic International to immediately make available the source code to be used in the forthcoming polls to political parties and other concerned sectors.

"This is a very serious matter as it would determine the credibility of this election. That is why the law provides that political parties should be able to examine the source code. So I challenge the Comelec and Smartmatic: Show us the source code," Pimentel said.

Pimentel, who is seeking a new term in the Senate, issued the challenge during the joint hearing of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Automated Election System and the Senate Committee Electoral Reforms & People's Participation. Pimentel chairs the latter while Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, also a re-electionist, chairs the former.

Pimentel also bewailed the fact that the credibility of the elections is being "hostaged" by the legal dispute between Dominion Voting Systems Incorporated and Smartmatic. Both are currently in the middle of a legal battle in the United States that could affect the release of the source code in time for the May elections.

Just recently, Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes, Jr. said that while he is still negotiating with Dominion, "he is not very optimistic" that he would be able to secure the source code.

Also present during the hearing were Comelec executive director Atty. Jose Tolentino, Cesar Flores of Smartmatic, former Comelec Commissioner Gus Lagman, and NAMFREL National Chairperson Mrs. Corazon de la Paz-Bernardo.

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