Navigating through BSP vault to lock in source codes for #Eleksyon2019

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez arrives at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in Manila on Friday, February 8, 2019 with the source codes for #Eleksyon2019. The source codes, which were initially kept inside the Comelec vault, will now be stored in the BSP vault. Tina Panganiban-Perez

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday officially turned over the source codes to be used for the upcoming May elections and locked them in a vault at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Two slots were raffled off to members of the media, including this reporter, to witness the turnover and the storage of the codes in the vault.

The locked boxes containing the source codes for #Eleksyon2019 have been brought to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. These will be stored in the BSP vault. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/51P2LmsrQG

— Tina PanganibanPerez (@tinapperez) February 8, 2019

Everyone who went down to the BSP vault went through several layers of security, including registering in three areas.

The giant door of the vault had two combination locks and two different BSP personnel knew the combinations.

When the door of the vault opened, a locked gate was opened by another BSP personnel.

A few steps from the door was the cage assigned to the Comelec. The gate had two locks that were sealed with masking tape and signed by an official from the poll body.

Inside the cage was a vault taller than the average person, which held the source codes used from #Eleksyon2010 to #Eleksyon2016.
All source codes were intact. The source codes for #Eleksyon2019 was added.

Comelec Exec Dir Jose Tolentino, Jr opens the ballot box containing one of the source codes for #Eleksyon2019. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/FLkvz6hoj9

— Tina PanganibanPerez (@tinapperez) February 8, 2019

Three CCTV cameras cover the area.

Comelec Executive Director Jose Tolentino Jr. said it would be very difficult for anyone to gain access to the vault.

Retrieval of the source code may be possible with a court order and approved by the Comelec en banc. Even then, the Comelec still needs to ask the BSP for authority to open the vault.

BSP Senior Assistant Governor Dahlia Luna assured the public that they are “committed jn ensuring that the source codes are kept safe” while in the BSP. — MDM, GMA News