MANILA, Philippines- Kinuwestiyon ni Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III ang legalidad at implementasyon ng internet voting for overseas Filipino voters para sa 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE).
Nitong Biyernes, naghain si Pimentel ng Senate Resolution No. 1344 na humihiling sa Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation na magsagawa ng imbestigasyon kung kumilos ang Commission on Elections (Comelec) alinsunod sa kapangyarihan nito.
Ayon kay Pimentel, layunin ng imbestigasyon na suriin kung natupad ng online election system ang pangangailangan sa “transparency, voter verifiability, at electoral integrity” na kailangan sa halalan.
Sa naturang resolution, binanggit ni Pimentel ang Sections 23 at 28 ng Republic Act No. 9189, as amended by RA 10590, na nagsasabing dapat magsumite ang Comelec ng rekomendasyon sa Joint Congressional Oversight Committee bago ipatupad ang bagong pamamaraan ng pagboto.
“There are alleged complaints from Filipinos abroad, including missing vote confirmation receipts, inaccessible online platforms, interface glitches, and mismatched QR codes with unreadable voting data,” ayon kay Pimentel.
Binanggit din ni Pimentel ang mababang rehistrasyon sa internet voting sa mahigit 1.2 million registered voters at ipinalutang ng ilang organisayon ang alalahanin sa implementasyon dulot ng “lingering doubts” sa system.
“There are those who hold the legal position that the two cited sections of the law must be read together and would result in the conclusion that the Comelec does not have the authority to motu proprio adopt online voting,” ayon kay Pimentel.
“These incidents have circulated widely on social media platforms and news outlets, amplifying fears of possible electoral fraud or technical failure… This highlights the urgent need to assess whether the internet voting system sufficiently meets standards of security, transparency, voter verifiability, and electoral accountability,” giit niya. Ernie Reyes
