PDP-Laban, voters seek SC TRO on internet voting

Members of the political party Partido ng Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and some overseas Filipino voters have asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order against internet voting for May's midterm elections.

The petitioners argue that remote online voting and automated vote counting violate Sections 7 and 31 of the Election Automation Law, which mandates traditional manual counting, and claim Comelec has no legal basis for its resolutions on internet voting.

PDP-Laban and six individual voters have also asked the Supreme Court to issue a writ of mandamus directing Comelec to 'properly implement' laws on automated elections and overseas voting.

The petitioners raised concerns that Filipinos who are not tech-savvy were not consulted about the new voting procedure, calling it discriminatory.

Despite these legal challenges, Comelec Chairman George Garcia insists internet voting is legal under Republic Act No. 10590 and says the commission will proceed with online voting at 77 diplomatic posts abroad while using automated counting machines at 16 others.