Smartmatic: Travel ban not necessary

Election technology provider Smartmatic International said imposing a travel ban on its officials and personnel is not necessary because they would cooperate with any probe on the alteration of script of the transparency server of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“Smartmatic respects the memorandum of Commissioner Rowena Guanzon. But they also think it’s unnecessary because they have no plan of leaving… They intend to fully cooperate with whatever investigation that Comelec calls for or any political party calls for,” Karen Jimeno, head of Smartmatic Voter Education Committee, said in an interview yesterday.

On election day last May 9, the script or hash code of the transparency server being used by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) in its quick count was altered by Smartmatic Philippines project director Marlon Garcia without authorization from the Comelec.

The correction was made after an observer noticed the presence of question marks in some candidates’ names where the letter ñ should have appeared.

The camp of vice presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. claimed that the change caused his rival, Liberal Party bet Leni Robredo, to overtake him in the quick count of the PPCRV.

Garcia explained that a Comelec personnel authorized the change and even keyed in the poll body’s password into the system.