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Following
is the executive summary of the STAR Scorecard presented by AES
Watch at a press conference January 18, 2010 at Club Filipino, Greenhills,
San Juan. AES Watch is a new alliance of citizens’ groups
and individuals concerned with the management of the automated election
by Comelec.
 aesWatch
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
STAR Scorecard (as of January 15, 2010)
Comelec’s
poll automation is endangered
Appraisal Report No. 01
The
aesWatch’s STAR (System Trustworthiness, Accountability and
Readiness) Scorecard presents the group’s rating on the 20
areas of concern for the 2010 automated elections. The 20 items
are grouped into four categories: (1) setting-up; (2) trustworthiness
of the internal workings of the machine; (3) training of personnel
and voters’ education and; (4) contingency plans.
The
appraisal done on these 20 items insofar as the target deadlines
were met or, whether ongoing or completed, the preparations and
activities were accomplished properly forms the basis for rating
the Comelec’s Readiness for the automated elections. The Readiness
rating has an impact on the system’s Trustworthiness. As the
country’s chief election manager, planner, and implementer
the Comelec will therefore have to Account for whatever lapses,
delays, and system vulnerabilities there are now and will unfold
during and after Election Day.
Tasked
by the AES Watch alliance for the appraisal is the STAR Scorecard
Committee whose members included: Mr. Lito Averia, president of
Philippine Computer Emergency Response (PhCERT); Dr. Pablo Manalastas,
Ateneo IT faculty and CenPEG; Prof. Segundo Romero of UP, DLSU,
and Association of Schools of Public Administrators (ASPAP); Prof.
Allan Borra, DLSU-Caucus; Mr. Mano Alcuaz; Engr. Rodolfo “Jun”
Lozada; and Rick Bahague, coordinator of Computer Professionals
Union (CPU). Mr. Alfredo Pascual, president of UPAA, Evita Jimenez,
CenPEG executive director and Dr. Jaime Caro, chair of UP computer
science and president, Computing Society of the Philippines (CSP),
also joined. The committee inputs were consolidated and summarized
by a team of CenPEG researchers – Prof. Rosa Cordillera Castillo,
Ayi dela Cruz, and Roda Manalac.
The
AES Watch has also been informed and guided by numerous studies,
reports, and observations on the Comelec management and its AES
system done as early as 2008. The appraisal also distils the concerns
raised by many sectors, voters and poll watchers, teachers, citizens’
organizations, IT professionals, academics, and political parties
in numerous forums, symposia, and dialogs held all over thecountry
as well as in meetings with the Comelec, Congress leaders, and other
agencies.
The
20 items were rated according to the preparedness of Comelec to
properly implement the automated elections on May 10, 2010. Comelec’s
preparedness is assessed based on its compliance with the Comelec
timetable, provisions of RA 9369, and the Terms of Reference (ToR),
as well as with its response to the concerns and requests from various
stakeholders regarding data and security of the automated election
system.
Each
item was rated as Pass, Warning, or Danger or Fail. “Pass”
is given when an activity is timely and properly accomplished; “Warning”
if time is running out for Comelec to finish the activity without
compromising the reliability of the system or to respond to issues
and concerns raised by stakeholders; “Danger” if deadline
had been breached which leaves Comelec little time to recover in
preparing for a successful automated election on May 10, 2010. Lastly,
“Fail” is given for concerns which Comelec can no longer
satisfactorily deliver or remedy.
Based
on Comelec’s latest calendar as of October 10, 2009, 10 out
of 27 activities due for completion on Jan.15 this year have not
been completed. Foremost among the delayed activities is the delivery
of machines and software components by Smartmatic-TIM which should
have been finished by December 31, 2009. The delay of the delivery
of the hardware and software components impedes or compromises succeeding
activities that Comelec has set in its timetable such as the certification
of the system by the Technical Evaluation Committee and the configuration
of the machines.
Last
December 17, the JCOC asked the Comelec to submit their replies
to the 20 questions raised by AESWatch by January 4, 2010 but up
to this date, there have been no responses and report yet especially
on the preparedness of the resources in voting centers such as telecommunications/
transmission and power infrastructures as well the refinement of
the General Instructions. Chief among the concerns of the group
is the non-compliance of Comelec with RA 9369, Sec.12 regarding
the release of the source code for review by any interested groups
or political parties. With the limited time from now until May 10,
there is no way for the source code to be reviewed thus putting
in doubt the reliability and trustworthiness of the system.
Based
on this STAR Card, Comelec FAILED 1 item, was given a WARNING rating
for 11 items, DANGER for 8 items, and did not PASS any item. Comelec
was not given a PASS rating by AESWatch because of its pattern of
delays and changes in the calendar as well as inability to install
needed internal safeguards for the election system as of January
15, the cut-off date of the Scorecard study.
Moreover,
the basic structures like transmission, machine deliveries and deployments
for the setting up of the AES nationwide have not been effectively
put in place; voters education and technical training have long
been overdue for the poll centers’ thousands of personnel
including the BEIs (teachers) and most of all, the General Instructions
(GI) as well as contingency plan all but remained drafts and proposals.
Overall,
the ratings revealed that Comelec is in the danger zone in its preparations
for the coming May 10, 2010 automated elections.
The
AES Watch Conveners include: UP Alumni Association (UPAA); Center
for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG); National Secretariat
for Social Action (NASSA-CBCP), Bishop Broderick Pabillo (CBCP)
and Bishop Deogracias Yniguez (CBCP and Ecumenical Bishops Forum
/ EBF); National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP);
Dr. Reena Estuar, chair of AdMU Dept. of Information Communications
System; Dr. Jaime Caro, UP computer science & President, Computing
Society of the Philippines (CSP); Dr. Rachel Edita O. Roxas, DLSU
College of Computer Studies; Computer Professionals Union (CPU);
Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP);
Dilaab Foundation; Association of Schools of Public Administrators
(ASPAP); Philippine Computer Emergency Response Team (PhCERT); Transparency
International (IT-Philippines); National Union of Students of the
Philippines (NUSP); Engr. Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada; Health
Alliance for Democracy (HEAD); Senior Catholic Citizens’ Organization;
Transparentelections.org; CCM; Coordinating Council for People’s
Development (CPDG); Solidarity Philippines; Pagbabago (Movement
for Social Change); Council for Health & Development (CHD);
Movement for Good Governance (MGG); and others.
For
details, please contact:
Ms. Ayi dela Cruz
CenPEG TelFax 9299526
or
AES Watch Secretariat Office c/o Jenny
UPAA, Bahay ng Alumni
Diliman, Quezon City
TelFax 9206875 |
