8/8/2019 Press Release on the Antipolo PCOS Machines, PLUMA

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PRESS RELEASE 8/31/2010

MORE THAN 26,000 ANTIPOLONIANS CALLING FOR THE SENATE TO FINISH FORENSICINVESTIGATION ON THEIR PCOS MACHINES

Today, around 500 leaders from 16 Baranggays in Antipolo City gathered at the Senate to submit theirpetition calling for the continuation of the forensic investigation on the Antipolo PCOS Machines, which arecurrently in the custody of the Senate. Their petition was voluntarily signed by more than 26,000

Antipolonians who are strongly seeking for the truth on whether the PCOS machines are used for electoralfraud.

These 60 PCOS machines were turned over to the Senate last 19 May 2010 after the ordeal of more than5000 residents from Antipolo City who camped for days at the Rizal Provincial Capital under constant threatby the presence of almost 600 policemen surrounding the area to guard the 60 PCOS machines found in theprivate resident of a Smartmatic technician.

We risked our lives to protect the integrity of the 60 PCOS machines, because it holds the truth on whetherthere was fair and honest election in Antipolo City. We are still waiting for the Senate to give due attention towhat we fought for., Stated by Mr. Fernando D. Gonzaga II, a representative of the Pinagkaisang Lakas atUgnayan ng Mamamayan ng Antipolo (PLUMA) who led the gathering in the Senate.

As contained in the petition letter addressed to the Hon. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, theyrequested the Senate to address the preliminary report of the Joint Forensic Team showing irregularitiesfound in the analysis of the 33 PCOS machines from Antipolo. They also appealed for the remaining 27PCOS machines to be opened and analyzed by a credible agency such as the Philippine Computer Society(PCS).

The Joint Canvassing Committee (JCC) formed the Joint Forensic Team to analyze the (60) PCOSMachines of Antipolo City. The Forensic examination was conducted on only thirty three (33) units of thePCOS machines and thirty one (31) pieces of Compact Flash (CF) memory cards. The preliminary forensicanalysis conducted showed the following results:

1. Extracted Hash Code Did not match published Hash Code. The hash code verifies the

authenticity of the electronic file in the CF cards. The code will change if the content of thatelectronic file is modified. A thorough comparison with the official documented posted in theCOMELEC website revealed that the published hash code found in the CF Cards from Antipolo isnot the same as the extracted hash code.

2. Absence of Machine Digital Signatures. Examination of the PCOS machines revealed that therewas no evidence found to prove the existence of digital certificates in the PCOS machines, contraryto the claims of Smartmatic.

3. PCOS Machine Can Be Controlled Through Its Console Port. The PCOS machine contains aconsole port, which Smartmatic claimed is only a one-way output port, used for diagnostics purposesonly. The forensic team was able to connect an ordinary laptop computer to the console port of aPCOS machine using a serial cable.According to the Forensic Team, this discovery was (and still) is a major vulnerability of the PCOS

machine - which could be exploited to manipulate the actual operations of the PCOS machine andwhich should be an utmost concern for election critics and watchdogs. Smartmatic cannot offer atechnical explanation for this major loophole.

More evidence of irregularities was found on August 3, 2010 when CF flash cards used in Antipolo Cityduring the May 10, 2010 elections were analyzed at the SMARTMATIC warehouse in Cabuyao Laguna.Based on the manifestation submitted by NPC representative of Antipolo City, Atty. Andrei Zapanta, It wasdiscovered that of the 367 precincts representing the precincts in Antipolo City only 317 CF cards could bebacked up. 50 CF cards were already back up cards thus there were 50 main CF cards not in thepossession of the COMELEC contrary to the statement given by the COMELEC City Election Officer that allthe main cards were with the possession of the COMELEC.

In addition it was discovered that there were CF cards that were not reconfigured and were ordered to berecalled, contained votes cast in the May 10 elections. These CF cards submitted to the COMELECcontained error in comparing the hashes and couldnt be backed-up at Smartmatics Cabuyao. Othersshowed that two CF cards were used as primary cards in one clustered precinct.

Taken as a whole, these new findings in Smartmatics Cabuyao and forensic evidence clearly show thepossibility that the local election results in Antipolo City were heavily compromised. Through the initiative ofthe Pinagkaisang Lakas at Ugnayan ng Mamamayan ng Antipolo (PLUMA), they hope to unravel the truthsurrounding the Antipolo PCOS Machines to show whether there is really honesty and truth on the May2010 local elections in Antipolo City.