Comelec prepared to address signal jamming on election day - Brillantes

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections vowed on Monday to thwart any possible disruption in the upcoming May 13 polls, amid reports that some groups are planning to jam signals needed for the transmission of election data.

In a radio interview, Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes, Jr. said the poll body will check into the reports and that it has contingency plans in case signal jamming becomes successful.

"To jam the signal, one should be near the voting center or one has to put a lot of jamming devices all over the country," he added.

He said Comelec's information technology department is coordinating with telecommunication companies and the National Telecommunications Commission to prevent signal jamming on election day.

"Sa local [polls] naman, makikita mo naman 'yan. Magkaroon man ng jamming, hindi naman problema ang pag-transmit ng record," he said, adding that compact flash cards and hard copies of records can be transmitted manually if there would be signal jamming.

"Let see what happens later," Brillantes said.