CEBU, Philippines - No less than the former chairman of the Commission on Elections has admitted that the Precinct Count Optical Scan or PCOS machine which the poll body is using in the 2016 elections can be hacked.
Former Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes, however, said that it is very difficult to do so.
“PCOS can be hacked. It can be hacked. But not very easy to hack. It is most difficult to hack,” said Brillantes during the gathering of One Cebu Party yesterday.
Brillantes said that hacking should be the least of the candidates’ worry in the coming elections because of the added security features of PCOS machine.
“Napakahirap mandaya through PCOS unless there is a grand conspiracy na kausapin mo ‘yung pitong commissioners, mga department heads, manufacturers, technical people of Smartmatic, among others, which will never happened,” Brillantes said.
“Do not worry much on this. Ang e-worry ninyo ‘yung mga tao. Yung mga military, police, taga Comelec, yung mga teachers kung tama ba ang ginagawa nila,” he added.
Brillantes assured that it would be very difficult to change the PCOS program as it would take six to eight months to change it.
“How would you hack in advance? Hindi mo nga alam kung sino ‘yung mga kandidato ang ilagay sa balota at kung paano ba ilagay. Kasi pwedeng diagonal yun,” Brillantes told some candidates of One Cebu Party who attendrd the event. — /FPL (FREEMAN)