The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has addressed the viral complaint of a Singapore-based overseas Filipino worker who claimed the names on his voting QR code did not match the candidates he selected during the first day of internet voting.
In a Facebook post that has now gained over 26,000 shares, Jefferson Salazar Bonoan voiced his disappointment after scanning the QR code provided post-voting, saying he was alarmed to find names he didn’t vote for. Bonoan said he chose a full slate of PDP-Laban senatorial bets and the Duterte Youth partylist and expected the verification process to reflect this. Instead, he said he saw unfamiliar names and questioned the system’s transparency. “Unlike previous elections where we had printed receipts, this new system gives us no real way to confirm if our votes were counted correctly,” he wrote, sharing screenshots as proof.
In response, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia clarified on April 14 that the names seen in the QR code are part of the encrypted security features of the system — and not a reflection of the actual votes cast.
“Puwede nilang makita pa rin ‘yung mismong encrypted votes nila, anytime… kahit dalawang linggo na ang nakalilipas pero hindi nila makikita ‘yung mismong pangalan ng mga binoto nila kasi nga po na-encrypt na,” Garcia explained.
He added that once a vote is submitted, it is securely encrypted and preserved, ensuring that no tampering occurs. “Once na naka-cast ‘yung boto, encrypted na pero kahit kopyahin nila ‘yung mismong encrypted na salita o script na tinatawag, ikumpara nila sa bawat araw na lilipas, pare-parehas po ‘yun kasi ibig sabihin ‘yung boto nila nandoon, na-preserve, hindi po nagagalaw.”
Garcia also emphasized that the encryption serves as a safeguard against vote-buying and is part of the system’s design. He assured the public that a proper verification process will be available after the voting period ends on May 12.
“Ipi-print po ‘yan ng mismong mga post at makikita po nila, ‘yun po mismo na mga balota na ibinoto nila kung sila po ‘yun,” he said. He explained that any appearance of other names in the code does not mean those candidates were voted for, but are part of how encryption works.
“So hindi po ‘yon nangangahulugan na ‘yon po ang binoto nila. Pero naroon sa encrypted script ‘yung lahat po ng binoto nila… security po ‘yun to protect mismo ‘yung mga boto po natin,” Garcia concluded.
