Senator Robin Padilla is pushing for the immediate passage of a bill that proposes a Hybrid Election System (HES) that retains manual voting and precinct-level manual counting while using electronic transmission and canvassing to speed up the consolidation of election results.

Padilla highlighted this in the proposed Hybrid Election Act ahead of the 2028 national elections.

Padilla says the 2028 elections will be a crucial test not only of the country's next set of leaders but also of the strength and credibility of Philippine democracy at a time when election systems worldwide are facing heightened scrutiny.

“Habang papalapit ang halalan sa 2028, mas mahalaga kaysa kailanman na tiyakin nating may buong tiwala ang taumbayan sa proseso ng pagboto at pagbibilang ng boto (As the 2028 elections draw near, it is more important than ever to ensure that the people have full trust in the voting and vote-counting process),” Padilla said.

“Hindi sapat na tama ang resulta. Kailangan ding makita at maintindihan ng mamamayan kung paano nakarating sa resulta. Sa demokrasya, mahalaga ang katotohanan, ngunit mahalaga rin ang tiwala (It is not enough that the result is correct. Citizens must also see and understand how the result was reached. In a democracy, truth is important, but trust is equally essential),” he added.

The senator said technological advances have improved the conduct of elections but have also introduced new challenges, including cybersecurity risks, data breaches, system vulnerabilities, artificial intelligence-generated misinformation, and growing public skepticism over fully automated electoral processes.

He noted that since automated elections were introduced in 2010, concerns have repeatedly been raised over transmission issues, technical glitches, the transparency of vote counting, and whether ordinary voters can independently verify election results.

Under Padilla's proposal, votes would still be cast manually and counted publicly at the precinct level in the presence of accredited poll watchers, political parties, and members of the public. The results would then be transmitted electronically to facilitate faster canvassing.

“Ang layunin ng panukalang ito ay simple: makita ng mamamayan ang pagbibilang ng kanilang boto habang napapanatili ang bilis ng makabagong teknolohiya (The aim of this proposal is simple: for citizens to see the counting of their votes while maintaining the speed of modern technology),” he said.

“Kapag nakikita mismo ng tao ang proseso, nababawasan ang pagdududa at lumalakas ang tiwala sa resulta ng halalan (When people can see the process themselves, doubts are reduced and confidence in the election results grows stronger),” he said.

Padilla has stressed that election reforms should not be delayed until after the next polls, saying the government needs enough time to test the system, educate the public, and prepare institutions for its implementation.

He added that the proposed legislation was ultimately aimed at protecting the integrity of every Filipino vote and preserving public confidence in the electoral process.