Quiboloy lawyer calls for manual vote counting at precinct level

Lawyer Israelito Torreon —Photo from his Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Israelito Torreon, legal counsel for senatorial candidate and detained Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy, has urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to implement manual vote counting at the precinct level, citing concerns over election integrity amid cybersecurity threats.

In a petition filed Monday, Torreon argued that manual counting would ensure transparency and uphold the sanctity of the ballot, asserting that it aligns with the law.

“We call on the Comelec, especially Chairperson Garcia, to direct the manual counting of votes at the precinct level and to promulgate the manner and procedure of counting votes under the Automated Election System,” Torreon said in the petition.

He cited Republic Act 9369, which amended RA 8436, claiming it reinstated manual vote counting within the Automated Election System.

“Section 31 provides that in reading the individual official ballots during the counting, the chairman, poll clerk, and third member shall provide the watchers and the public an unimpeded view of the ballot being read by the chairman, of the election return, and the tally board being simultaneously accomplished by the poll clerk and the third member respectively,” he explained.

“In effect, this amendment brings back the manual counting system inside the Automated Election System, mandating the manual counting of the ballots by the chairman with the tally board being simultaneously accomplished within view of the watchers and the public,” the lawyer added.

Torreon also raised concerns over the integrity of Miru Systems, the South Korean firm supplying new voting machines for the 2025 midterm elections, arguing that new equipment does not guarantee a fairer electoral process.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia maintained, however, that the poll body could not implement manual precinct-level counting unless the law is amended.

“We cannot do that in the Comelec because we have a law: Republic Act No. 9369, the Automated Election Law, which mandates that elections — from precinct-level voting to municipal, provincial, and national canvassing — must be automated,” Garcia told reporters in Filipino in an online press conference.

Garcia added that even a hybrid system combining manual and automated counting would require legislative action.