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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 000281 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2020 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM RP
SUBJECT: POLL PREPARATIONS ON TRACK, ELECTION COMMISSION 
CHAIR ASSURES CHARGE 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Leslie A. Bassett, reason: 1.4 ( 
b) and (d). 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman Jose Melo 
told the Charge d'Affaires on February 8 that preparations 
for th Philippines' first automated national election Ma 10 
were proceeding well.  Melo was satisfied wih the ongoing 
delivery and testing of SmartMaticmachines for scanning 
ballots and transmitting elction results.  Through mock 
elections and publi service announcements, COMELEC is 
seeking to intill greater public confidence in and awareness 
f automated election procedures.  Melo appreciated 
cooperation with the NGO International Foundationfor 
Election Systems (IFES) and was willing to asist other 
international NGOs and the Embassy's wn observer mission. 
The Autonomous Region in Mulim Mindanao (ARMM) will hold its 
elections on te same day as the rest of the Philippines, 
despit earlier speculation COMELEC would organize earlie 
elections in the ARMM.  End Summary. 
 
COMELECU.S. COOPERATION 
------------------------ 
 
¶2. C) On February 8, the last day before the start ofthe 
formal campaign period for upcoming national lections, the 
Charge d'Affaires called on Commision on Elections (COMELEC) 
Chairman Jose Melo.  he Charge congratulated Melo on 
February 6 mock lections that had provided COMELEC an 
opportunit to educate the public further on the use of new 
ptical scanners; the mock elections appeared largey 
successful, according to press reports and a UAID observer. 
The Charge explained that the USG,through USAID, was 
providing support for the upcming elections. 
 
¶3. (C) The Charge thanked Melo fr COMELEC's providing 
Mission diplomatic securit personnel and U.S. forces coveredby the Visiting Forces Agreement with exemptions from the 
government's strictly enforced weapons ban for the formal 
election period.  The Charge also previewed a request for 
COMELEC accreditation of a U.S. Embassy election observation 
mission and noted that the Carter Center and the National 
Democratic Institute might also request observer status. 
Melo welcomed these requests and expressed strong 
appreciation for USAID grantee IFES Philippines. 
 
SMARTMATIC MACHINES 
------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Melo explained that U.S. company SysTest, contracted 
by COMELEC, was evaluating the SmartMatic machines for 
scanning ballots and transmitting vote tallies.  SysTest 
would provide COMELEC with a report the following day.  By 
February 22, Melo anticipated, SysTest would provide COMELEC 
with formal certification of the SmartMatic systems.  (Note: 
A SysTest executive -- protect -- told us on February 12 that 
SysTest's February 9 report had concluded that SmartMatic's 
systems had minor shortcomings that should not affect system 
operations.  The executive said SysTest is continuing testing 
the machines' accuracy, capacity, and stress limitations, but 
SysTest's formal certification appeared likely.  End note.) 
Melo lamented that some Filipino legislators now were 
expressing a preference for the more familiar voting method, 
in which voters write by hand the names of their candidates, 
but some of those same legislators bore responsibility for 
the law requiring a transition to automated vote-counting. 
 
¶5. (C) Melo explained that, of the of 82,000 SmartMatic units 
ordered for the elections, almost 50,000 had arrived in the 
Philippines and other 20,000 were en route.  SmartMatic had 
assured that it would deliver all the units by February 21. 
COMELEC had already received associated materials, such as 
batteries and laptop computers. 
 
¶6. (C) The Charge asked about newspaper reports that there 
had been an influx into the Philippines of thousands of 
jammers of wireless transmissions.  Melo dismissed the 
reports, noting that it might be possible to jam some 
transmissions for some period of time, but it would not be 
possible to transmit false results to COMELEC's servers, and 
the poll workers would eventually be able to transmit their 
results -- either by moving the SmartMatic machines or by 
using a Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) that SmartMatic 
had established in order to provide an alternate means of 
 
MANILA 00000281  002 OF 002 
 
 
transmission for areas lacking standard wireless network 
coverage.  (Note: Separately, National Intelligence 
Coordinating Agency officials told the Embassy that they did 
not believe the jammers mentioned in press reports 
represented a serious threat to the transmission of election 
results.  End Note.) 
 
¶7. (C) Melo further explained that concerns about automated 
vote-tallying appeared overblown.  COMELEC had fallback 
options.  If necessary, polling place officials could resort 
to manual ballot-counting, since the SmartMatic machines 
would retain the voters' marked ballots in a ballot box. 
Printed copies of the returns in voting precincts would be 
posted and distributed to candidates' representatives. 
 
¶8. (C) COMELEC had begun printing ballots, Melo explained. 
Although the ultimate eligibility of some candidates (such as 
former President Joseph Estrada) remained unresolved as legal 
challenges continued, COMELEC's schedule would not allow 
further delay of ballot-printing.  (Separately, a COMELEC 
official told foreign diplomats that the SmartMatic scanners 
will disregard votes for candidates disqualified prior to 
election day; the machines will not produce a tally of votes 
for disqualified candidates.) 
 
NO EARLY ELECTION IN THE SOUTH 
------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (C) Melo expressed regret that the Senate had gone into 
recess without approving legislation that would have provided 
for early elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim 
Mindanao (ARMM).  The ARMM elections would take place on May 
10, as in the rest of the Philippines.  When the Charge asked 
about security concerns, Melo noted that units of the Armed 
Forces of the Philippines and the police would be deputized 
by COMELEC to provide security.  Melo did not appear 
particularly concerned about security. 
 
VOTER EDUCATION 
--------------- 
 
¶10. (C) Voter education would soon increase, Melo said, 
through the distribution of informative video discs as well 
as through radio and television spots broadcast per a COMELEC 
agreement with the Philippine Information Agency.  Events 
such as the recent mock elections would also inspire greater 
voter awareness.  Many participants in the mock elections 
remarked that they had found it simple and easy to use the 
SmartMatic systems.  COMELEC would undertake more 
comprehensive training of poll workers closer to election day. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶11. (C) Melo's confidence was reassuring, but there is still 
a need for continued aggressive voter education and poll 
worker training efforts. Mission will continue to work 
closely with NGO's and COMELEC to encourage them to maintain 
the demanding pace of preparations needed to overcome the 
serious logistical challenges remaining before the May 10 
elections. 
BASSETT