The trusted build or the entire automated election system (AES) software that will be used in the 2022 national and local elections was completed on Friday, Dec. 3.
"We have already completed our trusted build. The entire software, AES software for the 2022 national and local elections starting with the Election Management System (EMS); Consolidated Canvassing System (CCS); and Vote-Counting Machine (VCM). We have already conducted also the smoke test and it works well," Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said.
United States (US)-based International agency Pro V&V Inc. conducted the source code review of the trusted build led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director Ryan Jackson Cobb. Casquejo explained that based on the country's automation law, a source code review must be done by the technical evaluation committee (TEC) through the international certification entity (ICE) which is Pro V&V Inc.
"We have done all the reviews, the source code reviews, of all of our AES components, that includes election management system or the EMS, the CCS or consolidation canvassing system and as well as the VCM the vote counting machine," he said. The only thing left to do, according to Casquejo, was just to build the system.
"The source code will be converted into an executable file or an installer that we will use. This is very important, because we are going to use this for the 2022 national and local elections," he said.
He mentioned that it is called trusted because it is the source code that has been reviewed by the TEC through the ICE. He added that the software will be used by the Comelec in its field tests as well as the mock elections.
"This is an important event, because our system lies on this trusted build," he said.
The source codes saved in USB sticks were sealed in envelopes and signed. It will be transported in escrow to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as required by the law. Source codes will also be transported to the Project Management Office (PMO), according to Casquej for the configuration of the VCM and CCS.
The international source code review, according to Comelec's website, is one of the bases, along with five other requirements, for the issuance of the TEC Certification before election day that the AES is operating properly, securely, and accurately.