NAMFREL launches mobile app to encourage public protect votes in Eleksyon 2022

The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) on Friday launched a mobile app that checks election results and connectivity during the conduct of automated polls on May 9.

“We would like to announce the NAMFREL mobile application,” JR Contreras, member of NAMFREL National Council, said at a press briefing.

“Itong NAMFREL mobile application isang inisyatiba ng NAMFREL para mahikayat ang sinuman na tumulong magbantay ng boto (This mobile application is an initiative of the NAMFREL to encourage everyone to help in protecting the votes),” he added.

Citizens can take a picture of the hash code in printed election returns posted outside polling precincts and send it through the mobile application.

According to NAMFREL, if the hash codes from the polling precinct and from the Comelec website do not match, it will be reported to the poll body.

The mobile application also features a bandwidth test to check the strength of signal in polling areas.

Earlier, several poll watchdog group members said they had misgivings about the automated election system (AES) due to a  supposed lack of procedures and a failure to comply with the law.

For AES Watch spokesperson Nelson Celis, the integrity of the system was not only about the technology but also about the procedures and the people who are managing it.

“Kung titignan mo ang (If you will look at the) computers, technology, garbage in, garbage out, so whoever is the supplier it’s all about how you program the computer whether it is Smartmatic or it is Dominion. It's all about people around it,” said Celes.

Former Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) secretary Eliseo Rio likewise said that the AES could not be trusted.

According to him, they had presented recommendations for the conduct of the automated elections, among which was a random manual audit and requiring digital signatures in the system.—AOL, GMA News