Comelec: Starlink units in Davao home not for counting votes
Inquirer files
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) allayed fears that the Starlink satellite transmission devices discovered inside a private residence in Davao City on Saturday would be used to rig the May 12 elections.
Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco on Saturday said the house in Barangay Buhangin was only used as a “temporary staging hub” by the joint venture (JV) of iOne Resources and Ardent Networks Inc., which won in April the poll body’s P1.4-billion Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETS) project for the May polls.
Comelec said the 10 sets of Starlink devices, solar panels and batteries found in a Davao residence were “solely for transmission purposes and have nothing to do with the machines and programs used for reading ballots and counting votes,” as these “do not contain any election program or software that could affect the use of the automated counting machines, the consolidation and canvassing systems, or the entirety of the election management system.”
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Earlier, an alert from Buhangin’s residents about the presence of the equipment at a house in Santol Street, Purok Sto. Niño prompted Davao City police to inspect the area.
The police were told by the house owner that a relative who had a storage contract with Comelec only wanted to temporarily keep the equipment in her compound before their distribution to various areas in the Davao Region.
A photo shared by the Davao City Police Office showed that the boxes were not securely stored, as these were placed in a shed with no walls, and immediately outside the house.
On why the transmission devices were in a private residence in Davao City, the Comelec explained that based on their contract agreement, the JV is responsible for the deployment and installation of the devices at voting and canvassing centers that require them, as well as where to temporarily store them.
The iOne JV also told the poll body that by April 15, these would be immediately installed at voting and canvassing centers across the Davao Region.
However, “for additional security and transparency,” Comelec directed the JV to remove the Starlink devices from their current location in Davao City and deliver them directly to the concerned Office of the Election Officer (OEO), under the supervision of Comelec and Philippine National Police personnel.
Comelec Chair George Garcia told reporters in a message Sunday that trucks have already arrived at the Office of the Provincial Election Supervisor of Davao del Norte in Tagum City to deliver the Starlink devices to their respective provincial OEOs.
The segregation and delivery of the devices were witnessed by election watchdog groups and representatives of the political parties and candidates. Police escorted the trucks to their destinations, where they would be immediately inventoried. —with a report from Joselle R. Badilla
