Brillantes dares critic: Demonstrate PCOS rigging

MANILA, Philippines - Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Wednesday challenged a former poll body official to demonstrate how the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines can be easily rigged.

Brillantes issued the challenge to former elections commissioner Augusto Lagman, who had claimed that the PCOS machines can be used to program or tamper with the election results.

"I dare ex-commissioner Lagman to come over to the Commission on Elections. It is his obligation to show us how it can easily be rigged so we can prepare for it," Brillantes said in an interview on ANC's Headstart on Wednesday.

The Comelec chief wonders why Lagman never brought up the allegation when he was still in the poll body.

Brillantes said it is unethical for Lagman to attack his former office instead of helping the Comelec in preparing for the elections.

"Ethics would demand that instead of attacking us publicly, come to us, explain what you say," Brillantes said.

Lagman described as a "midnight deal" a Comelec decision to tap Smartmatic to refurbish the over 80,000 PCOS machines.

Brillantes has denied that he and retiring commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yusoph benefited from the alleged "midnight deal."

He also clarified that Smartmatic will only do diagnostic services on the machines worth P300 million.

The Comelec maintained that diagnosis was given to Smartmatic because they do not want to risk having a third party provider handle the "highly technical nature" of the project.

It also assured that the extension of the warranty contract with Smartmatic meets the requirements of Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Act on direct contracting.