The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) announced that it will hold a special online session today, April 15, to tackle issues surrounding overseas online voting, following a viral complaint from an OFW in Singapore who questioned the integrity of the new system.
In a Facebook post, the CFO invited the public to join the CFO Migration Talks session titled “e-Boto Mo, Kabayan! Makialam at Makilahok sa Makabagong Halalan”, which will run from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and be livestreamed via the CFO’s official Facebook page.
The session will feature COMELEC Spokesperson Atty. John Rex Laudiangco and NAMFREL National President Lito Averia, Jr., who are expected to shed light on the process of overseas voting and specifically address widespread questions about ballot receipts and vote verification.
The announcement comes just days after Jefferson Salazar Bonoan, an OFW based in Singapore, shared his frustration on social media after scanning the QR code given to him upon casting his online vote. He claimed that the names displayed in the verification did not match the candidates he voted for, raising concerns about the transparency of the system. His post quickly gained traction online, garnering over 26,000 shares from fellow overseas Filipinos.
COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia has since explained that the QR codes only display encrypted data to protect the integrity of the vote and to prevent vote-buying. “Hindi nila makikita ‘yung mismong pangalan ng mga binoto nila kasi nga po na-encrypt na,” Garcia clarified in a recent statement.
Garcia added that while voters may feel uncertain now, the system allows for post-election verification. “Later on po kapag na-translate na ‘yon into human readable, makikita nila na ‘yun naman pala talaga ‘yung eksaktong mga binoto,” he explained.
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