The Commission on Elections (Comelec) deposited digital storage devices containing the final software for the 2025 national and local elections in the highly secured vault of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Monday, March 24.
After signing the escrow agreement with BSP, Comelec fulfilled its legal obligation under Republic Act No. 9369, which requires the safekeeping of the Automated Election System (AES) source codes.
These codes control the Automated Counting Machines (ACM) for ballot scanning and vote tallying, the Election Management System (EMS) for overseeing election conduct, the Consolidation and Canvassing System (CCS) for aggregating results, the Secure Electronic Transmission System (SETS) for digitally transferring election results, and the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) for managing digital voting.
Miru Systems, the country’s new election technology provider, developed the source codes and secured them inside sealed envelopes signed by an international certifier.
Before officially depositing them, Comelec and BSP officials presented the envelopes to media and election observers to ensure transparency.
They then placed the envelopes in a lockbox and sealed it with a paper strip.
High level of security?
Comelec Chairman George Garcia emphasized that this public deposit proves the integrity of the electoral process, saying Comelec chose BSP for its high level of security to assure the public that the election system remains protected.
BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat reaffirmed BSP’s commitment to election integrity. She said that by taking custody of the source codes, BSP fulfills its legal obligation and upholds clean and transparent elections.
Garcia clarified that only a congressional order can withdraw the source codes, though this has never happened before.
He also stressed that election protests cannot use the source codes as evidence since the original ballots serve as the primary basis for disputes.
With the source codes now secured in BSP’s custody, Comelec continues to prepare for the 2025 elections, ensuring transparency and security throughout the process.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.