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Comelec to follow SC on fate of 2022 polls transmission logs

By Ferdinand Patinio

November 3, 2022, 4:38 pm

<p>Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco <em>(File photo)</em></p>

Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco (File photo)

MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Thursday it would abide by the ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) on the petition filed regarding the preservation of the transmission logs of the May 9, 2022 national and local elections.

Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco made the remark in response to the filing of a petition for mandamus by former Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Eliseo Rio to extend the preservation of the data logs of the last polls.

"The Comelec, as always, will abide by any order or process of the Honorable Supreme Court. This is a much welcome development wherein all parties, including the Comelec, will be able to conclusively respond to all issues under judicial processes,” Laudiangco said in a statement.

He noted that similar requests may be filed by the public if they have questions regarding the automated elections.

“But as we have consistently stated as regards citizens who may have issues relative to the electoral processes, the Comelec Rules of Procedure, as well as the Rules on Civil Procedure (Rules of Court), provide for the proper avenues by which these may be properly ventilated within the ambit of due processes of law and public order,” Laudiangco said.

In his petition filed Thursday morning, Rio requested the SC to extend the preservation of the logs for them to verify their observations of a discrepancy between the transmissions to the transparency server and the central server.

Under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, computer data shall be preserved for a minimum of six months from the date of the transaction, and authorities may order a one-time extension for another six months before they are allowed to be destroyed.

The poll body earlier said the data logs from the 2022 polls could be accessed through the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the Automated Election System. (PNA)

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