'MASTER BLUEPRINT'

CD CONTAINS THE SOURCE CODE. OR ‘

MASTER BLUEPRINT’ FOR VOTING MACHINE

News report that Comelec Chairman, Hon. Juan Andres D. Bautista said that the Comelec is setting as initial activity the base code review of OMR source code this coming month of October 15, 2015. Commissioner Robert Lim further explained that the base code “is the basic source code” of a program. This is the code that hasn’t been customized to comply with Philippine election laws. 

Comelec also sets the scrutiny of voting machines three (3) months before May 09, 2016 National and Local Elections. 

What is the importance of source code? Rappler news site educate us more on it, as we quote:

“ What is a source code?

Experts describe it as the recipe or “master blueprint” followed by a computer machine.

Republic Act (RA) No. 9369, which amends the Automated Election System (AES) Law, defines it as “human-readable instructions that define what the computer equipment will do.”

Source codes contain instructions for counting and canvassing votes – which, if manipulated, could lead to fraud.

 What is a source code review?

It is the process by which experts review the source code to perform the following major functions:

·         check compliance with technical requirements

·         spot possible flaws

·         ensure there is no malicious code that may be used in fraud

For the 2013 elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) intended to open both the PCOS and the consolidated canvassing system (CCS) source codes for review by local groups. Only the source code review for one of these pushed through.

What does the law say about the source code?

The AES Law requires the Comelec to certify that the AES underwent a successful source code review. The Comelec's technical evaluation committee (TEC) should certify this through an independent, international entity.

The law also requires the Comelec to “promptly make the source code of that technology available and open to any interested political party or groups which may conduct their own review thereof.”

 In May 2013 elections  the TEC, “citing a report by the Denver-based SLI Global Solutions, a poll technical evaluation committee (TEC) said the automated election system (AES) “can operate properly, securely, and accurately.”

The TEC certified this in Resolution No. 2013-001 on Tuesday, February 12, a day before the deadline the law mandates. The TEC certification involved the AES, including the source code, defined by the Automated Elections Law as the “human readable instructions that define what the computer equipment will do.”

In its report submitted to the committee, SLI said the “critical” or “major” programming issues concerning the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines “have been resolved.” It added: “There were no instances discovered of any intentionally malicious code having been written by the vendor and included in the voting system source code."

The 4-page TEC report was signed by Denis Villorente, committee chairman, who comes from the Advanced Science and Technology Institute of the Department of Science and Technology; Comelec's Ferdinand de Leon; and Reynaldo Sy of the Information and Communications Technology Office.”

 Aside from this review, the Commission on Elections schedules the final testing and sealing of the voter’s machine in every voting precincts ahead or a day before election day and this activity is open to the public and representatives of all election stakeholders. This is to make sure that the machine is in good operating condition and that the machine and CF Cards to be used is tampered free.