Editorial: Key codes to transparency

(Editorial Cartoon by Josua Cabrera)
(Editorial Cartoon by Josua Cabrera)

IT’S like watching a basketball game where you only get to see the referee tossing the ball, and then black out. The next thing you will know is that Team A won because, yes, the score will tell you that it did. Team B won because the score shows. But you have no idea what transpired within the two hours.

This is how Eric Alvia, secretary-general of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), explains in layman’s term the technical scenario if the Commission on Elections (Comelec) does not grant the citizens’ arm access to the data sets it needs to fully monitor the electoral process.

“The data we requested would have given us a complete picture to observe the general situation and environment of the election,” Alvia said.

Namfrel withdrew itself Friday, May 3, as an accredited watchdog for the May 13 elections.

The key election data would have included IP addresses and DSN server addresses, among others. These will allow Namfrel a microscopic view of what transpires when the data is transmitted from the machines to the servers.

Alvia said Namfrel intends to “deal down on the data” to make sure the election returns from the transparency server are pristine and “have the fidelity” when they were sent out from the machine.

The data sets will likewise give Namfrel’s election website information on candidates’ spending, voters’ list and precinct statistics.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the full commission did not deny Namfrel’s request. It “simply wasn’t granted.”

“One of the main points of automation is that the results come out very quick and it’s coming from a singular source. I guess perhaps one of the concerns is that what happens if you have two competing sources of election information?” Jimenez said.

There is, however, time for each party to reconsider Namfrel’s request for these key data, and the latter had said it is still open to make the request again.

Namfrel, though, assured it will continue its task of monitoring the elections and may have to secure the data from other sources. It admits it had gone through more difficult hurdles in past elections.

Jimenez said the poll body had not come up with an official position on Namfrel’s request. But Namfrel’s withdrawal as the mid-term elections’ official citizen watchdog does not score well on objectives of having a transparent, credible elections.

The Comelec sees a very high turnout in this elections considering the engagement of citizens in social media. That, plus this elections will determine the kind of complexion the three branches of government will assume in the next three years. We can’t afford to go blind in certain corners of the ballgame.

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