AN OFFICIAL of Smartmatic-Total Information said Tuesday that Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon’s memorandum was unnecessary since the agency’s technical provider had no intention of leaving the Philippines.
While they respected Guanzon’s memo barring them from leaving the country, Smartmatic-TIM on voter education chief Karen Jimeno asked the Comelec if there was an actual “protocol for minor change,” and if so the agency should reveal them to the public.
“Smartmatic respects the memorandum of Commissioner Rowena Guanzon. But they also think it’s unnecessary because the Smartmatic officials do not plan to leave the country,” Jimeno told the reporters.
Jimeno said before anyone could accuse Smartmatic of anything, particularly over the one who altered the cosmetic programming script, Marlon Garcia, the Comelec should focus on the facts if there were any protocols made.
“Before anyone alleges there’s a breach in protocol, I think what’s important here is, first, to look at whether there is a protocol for a minor change like a correction of a typographical error,” Jimeno said.
“What is the protocol? Where is it contained?”
On Monday, Guanzon asked her colleagues to file a hold- departure order against Smartmatic after its project manager did a little “cosmetic alteration” on the programming script of the transparency server.
Guanzon filed a memorandum asking the Comelec en banc to order Smartmatic to prohibit their officers and personnel from leaving the Philippines while the investigation against the technical provider was ongoing.
Jimeno assured the Comelec that Smartmatic was willing to cooperate with whatever investigation set against them.
“They intend to fully cooperate with whatever investigation Comelec calls for or any political party calls for. So they have no intention of leaving the country as well. So it’s really unnecessary to even have a hold departure order,” Jimeno said.
Last week, the commission en banc created a committee that will probe the incident where Garcia and other Comelec information technology employees altered the programming script by changing the names of candidates from “?” to “ñ”
Guanzon had already declared that there were financial and criminal liabilities against Smartmatic’s decision to alter the script without the Comelec en banc’s permission.
Comelec commissioner Christian Robert Lim also ordered all Smartmatic employees to “stay away” from the National Board of Canvassing work place.
He said that the American-based technology provider was barred from having access to the Consolidation and Canvassing System in the NBOC.
Garcia, however, said the cosmetic alteration did not affect the actual voting results.
Jimeno said Garcia would not be able to change it if not for a Comelec member who typed in the password to the transparency server.
She pointed out that on the day Garcia changed the typographical error, a Comelec Information Technology Department officer was also present.
“I think that first, before we make accusations, we look at the facts. So first, there would not have been a change if not for also a member of Comelec putting in the password,” Jimeno said.
“And in fact, it was the Comelec officer that typed in the password in order for Smartmatic to make the change,” she said.
Jimeno maintained that even on the first day of the Elections, Smartmatic had been following all the rules of Comelec.
“Because fhat’s very clear, there’s always guidelines and there have always been rules that we need to follow in order to implement the project,” Jimeno said.
“So it’s really Comelec that runs the show, not Smartmatic.”