Barring insurmountable legal obstacle, the country’s more than 50 million new and old voters will choose their national and local leaders on May 10, 2010 via an automated election system that will ensure the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot, eclipse the possibility of cheating and other electoral frauds by the rapidity with which the results will be known and transmitted, and make the entire process credible because of absolute transparency with which it will be accomplished.

This was emphasized on Wednesday by Comelec Commisioner Lucenito N. Tagle during the forum hosted by the Harvard Club of the Philippines (HCP), in cooperation with the American Embassy, on the subject “Electoral Reforms and Poll Automation: Making them Work” held at the Amphitheater of the Ateneo de Manila Professional Schools, Rockwell Center, Makati City.

Tagle, who assured that the Comelec will abide by the decision of the Supreme Court on a pending petition before it questioning the legality of poll automation contract it entered into with Smartmatic TIM Corp., said that the State, under Republic Act 9369 or the Election Modernization Act, recognizes the mandate and authority of the Comelec to prescribe the adoption and use of the most suitable technology of demonstrated capability taking into account the situation prevailing in the area and the funds available for the purpose.

“Providentially, the constitutionality of Election Modernization Act was affirmed by the High Court last August 7, 2009 in a decision penned by Justice Antonio T. Carpio,” Tagle said.

He said the modernization of elections through the use of automated machines started as early as 1995 under Republic Act 8046 which authorized the pilot testing of a Computerized Election System in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.