Comelec dismisses candidate's ACM claim as fake news

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) dismissed as 'fake news' a candidate's claim of a source code mismatch in the automated counting machines (ACMs).

Lawyer Jeryll Harold Respicio, a vice mayor candidate from Reina Mercedes, Isabela, alleged discrepancies between hash codes listed on Comelec’s audit reports and those installed on ACMs.

Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia clarified that the hash code presented in Respicio's social media video was used during the final trusted build process, not during local source code reviews.

Garcia assured the public that the ACM systems have undergone proper review, trusted build processes, and audits by IT experts and organizations.

Comelec further explained that the version 3.4 mentioned in the Local Source Code Review Report is the same version that passed the independent audit, which was designated as version 3.5 after passing the audit.

Election watchdog Kontra Daya expressed concern over the claims, stating they raise significant concerns about election integrity.

Comelec warned that spreading false or alarming information during elections could be considered an offense under Section 261(z)(11) of the Omnibus Election Code.