Comelec: Sulu not yet an area of concern for Eleksyon 2025

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will not declare Sulu as an area of concern following the ambush of a local poll officer over the weekend, chairperson George Erwin Garcia said Monday.

“Ang isang insidente ng karahasan ay hindi dapat gawing basehan para sabihin na ang probinsya ay dapat ilagay sa tinatawag na Comelec control or area of concern,” Garcia told reporters on the sidelines of the live test of the trusted build of the election management system (EMS) for Eleksyon 2025 in Intramuros, Manila.

(An incident of violence should not be used as a basis to say that the province should be placed under what is called Comelec control or designated as an area of concern.)

“Mali po 'yun dahil napaka-unfair sa ekonomiya, sa pamamahala, at local government unit (LGU) ng mismong lugar…Ang Sulu at this point is not a candidate for area of concern o ilagay siya sa Comelec control,” he added.

(That would be unfair to the economy, governance, and the LGU of the area. At this point, Sulu is not a candidate for designation as an area of concern or for being placed under Comelec control.)

Over the weekend, Garcia said the vehicle of Sulu Provincial Election Supervisor (PES) Julie Vidzfar was ambushed in Zamboanga City on Saturday morning. While Vidzfar was left unharmed, the incident led to the death of her sibling.

Garcia on Sunday said the shooting may possibly be considered as poll-related violence.

The Comelec chief on Monday condemned the ambush, saying Vidzfar was being targeted for supposedly turning down requests from an alleged politician that would put "unequal opportunities for the elections” including the changing of venues of polling precincts in the province.

“In the meantime…hindi natin tatanggalin ang PES sapagkat parang ipinapakita na duwag ang Comelec. Parang successful ang pananambang na ‘yan,” he said.

(In the meantime, we will not remove the PES because it would seem to show that the Comelec is cowardly. It would appear that this ambush was successful.)

“Ang request natin sa DILG, PNP, maaresto agad 'yung mga responsible dito. Mapanagot sila sapagkat mas masakit na 'yung mismong kapamilya ang dinadamay dito,” he added.

(Our request to the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Philippine National Police is to immediately arrest those responsible for this. They should be held accountable, especially since it hurts more that a family member is being targeted.)

In November, the Comelec said election officers who will receive death threats will be removed and reassigned to safer areas to ensure their security. However, Garcia said some officials opted to stay on their posts.

“Hindi revoking but on a case-to-case basis. We'll always listen to our personnel from the field...Ang importante, bigyan sila ng sapat na seguridad,” he added.

(It is not being revoked, but will be implemented on a case-by-case basis. We will always listen to our personnel in the field... The important thing is to provide them with adequate security.)

Live test of EMS trusted build

Meanwhile, the Comelec conducted a live test of the trusted build of the EMS to be used for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE).

According to the poll body, the testing of the trusted build will “ensure the integrity, security, and accuracy” of the automated election system (AES) for next year’s elections. The process involves compiling the final, verified,  and approved source codes into executable machine-readable codes that will be deployed in the election systems.

“’Yung EMS ay ite-test. Sinusubukan, inaalam kasama ang source code. Very important. Ang source code natin, dapat hindi mapalitan, dapat hindi ma-tamper. Kung ano ang pinakita sa publiko at pina-source code review natin dapat eksakto ‘yun,” said Garcia.

(The EMS will be tested. We are examining it, looking into it along with the source code. It's very important. Our source code must remain unchanged and must not be tampered with. What was presented to the public and what we had reviewed in the source code should be exactly the same.)

Source codes serve as the “brain” which will instruct the automated counting machines (ACMs) to execute their functions during the election day.

“Tungkol ito sa transparency...Hindi lang ito 'yung machine, kasama na rito ang consolidation system, ang transmission, ang internet voting,” he said.

(It's about transparency... It's not just the machine; it also includes the consolidation system, the transmission, and internet voting.)

Garcia said the live test will be the last activity of the poll body this year. In January 2025, he said the Comelec will start printing the initial ballots for the midterm elections. —KG, GMA Integrated News