Metro Manila, Philippines – A vice mayoral candidate who claimed vote-counting machines could be hacked to manipulate election results is facing a cybercrime complaint filed by no less than the Commission on Elections.
Officials from the Comelec’s Task Force Katotohanan, Katapatan, at Katarungan sa Halalan filed a complaint against lawyer, accountant, and vlogger Jeryll Harold Respicio with the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, Feb. 28.
Respicio, a vice mayoral candidate for Reina Mercedes town in Isabela province, posted videos on Facebook supposedly demonstrating how to hack the automated counting machines and manipulate poll results. Comelec has successfully requested the social media platform to take down the videos.
The task force filed a complaint for violating Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code, which penalizes the publication of “false news that may endanger public order or damage the interests or credit of the state,” in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
Penalty for cyber libel could be up to 12 years in prison, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said in an interview after the filing.
He said this is the first-ever cybercrime complaint lodged by the task force, and that it is also planning to file an election offense and disqualification case against Respicio, and seek to have him disbarred as a lawyer and have his accounting license revoked.
“Because we will take seriously any attempt to undermine the integrity of our election. Because the integrity of our election is the very foundation of our democracy, of why the people continue to believe that election is a part and parcel of our democracy,” Garcia said.
“This is a very strong warning — misinformation and disinformation and fake news lalabanan namin ‘yan [we will fight that] at all cost,” he also said in a briefing on election updates at the Comelec headquarters.
In a brief statement shared with reporters, Respicio maintained that there are weaknesses in the automated system.
“Kinasuhan ako ng Comelec dahil sa Facebook video kung saan inilahad ko ang malubhang kahinaan ng voting machines. Kapag nakakonekta sa internet ang makina bago i-print ang election returns, maaaring madaya ang eleksyon. Bukod sa pagiging abogado, isa akong IT expert,” Respicio said.
[Translation: I was charged by the Comelec because of a Facebook video where I exposed the serious vulnerabilities of the voting machines. When the machine is connected to the internet before printing the election returns, the election could be manipulated. In addition to being a lawyer, I am also an IT expert.]
Garcia dismissed Respicio’s claims as baseless, emphasizing that the automated system is “hack-free” and transparent. He noted that voters can verify their votes, and election watchdogs and the media can ensure the accuracy of the results.
