The controversial source code for precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines for the May 13 polls is now open for review, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Thursday as he received it from SLI Global Solutions, an international certifier that reviewed it, and the Dominion Voting System that owns it.
“We are prepared to come out with the source code in the open and all interested parties will now be allowed to review it,” he said during the public presentation of the CD that contains the source code.
However, the arrival of the source code is amost certain to be too late for a proper review by local experts before the May 13 elections.
Brillantes thanked both Dominion and Smartmatic for agreeing to bring the source code to the Philippines despite their legal dispute.
“We owe it to Smartmatic and Dominion. They do not want that the elections in this country on May 13 will have some taint of vagueness or lack of credibility,” he said.
But technology specialists have long been saying that the source code must also be reviewed by local experts, as required by law.
Gus Lagman, a former Comelec commissioner who has become among the staunchest critics of the Comelec's preparations for the automated elections, said that the turnover of the source code on Thursday is too late, asserting that a proper review would take four to six months.
Brillantes has said that review by local groups can take place after the elections.
"Medyo natatakot ako," Lagman said. "Halimbawa may nakitang diperensya sa source code, meron nang nanalo, madami natalo. Pag nagkaproblema na lumabas, sasabihin ng natalo invalid. Wala akong solusyon doon. Masyadong nakakatakot."
“The issue of credibility is answered with the presence of the source code in compliance with the law,” he said.
He said the warring technology suppliers had an agreement but it cannot be divulged as it might affect the case the two firms are facing.
“There are items that are supposed to be confidential because they have a pending legal dispute in US. We do not want to affect this ongoing legal battle so we are not allowing them to make specific disclosure except to turn over the source code to us,” said Brillantes.
The source code was contained in a compact disc which was brought to the country Sunday night by Michael Santos, SLI senior test manager, and handed over during the press presentation to Dominion representatives.
Santos tried to install the source code to a desktop which will also be used for the review of the source code. The initial attempt failed as Santos was encrypting straight from the CD.
After analyzing the problem, Comelec’s Project Management Office head Jose Tolentino said Santos will load the source code CD into the desktop’s hard drive before the encryption by entering three passwords.
When the second attempt succeeded, Santos then entered his password, followed by Tolentino on behalf of Comelec and then a Dominion representative.
The Comelec will be putting the CD in a box which will be brought to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and put in a vault for safekeeping.
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