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Absence of NPO marks on ARMM ballots ‘not critical’


(Updated 3:50 PM) Security markings were no longer placed on ballots to be used for Mindanao’s autonomous region because doing so would delay printing, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said. The National Printing Office’s (NPO) ultraviolet marks and 2-D bar codes were withheld from ballots for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) because the printers had not been configured in time for printing, poll body spokesperson James Jimenez told GMANews.TV. “They were not put in place because they were given to us rather late," he said. Moreover, placing the NPO’s own bar codes would delay ballot printing since it would require another round of tests by SysTest Labs, Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal added. “It will delay the actual printing itself. The 2-D bar code has to be integrated…it has to be certified again," he said in a press briefing on Monday. But at the same time, the commission allayed concerns regarding ballot security, clarifying that the NPO marks are a ‘mere redundancy’ and are just one of two sets of security marks. “The NPO security marks are a mere redundancy, the primary security marks are those of the Comelec… that cannot be replicated by anyone," he said. “There are two sets of security markings. The NPO marks are not critical, [and are just an] added layer," he said. ARMM ballots carry Comelec, Smartmatic markings The ARMM ballots already have the poll body’s usual security features, including a unique ballot paper, the poll body’s own UV ink, a bar code, Comelec markings, and the unique precinct-based numbers on the ballot, Jimenez said. The Comelec managed to put its own markings as well as Smartmatic’s on the ballots for the ARMM, the printing of which were completed last week. Larrazabal said that there is no need to destroy the ballots printed for the ARMM, because they will still be resistant to cheating attempts. Although the printing office is mandated to put security markings on materials it prints, there is no need to do so if they were to strictly follow the poll body's rules, Jimenez added. Ballots without NPO markings would still be read by Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that would be used in the 2010 polls. “Even without the NPO security marks, the ballots would be protected," he said in Filipino. For his part, Smartmatic-Asia President Cesar Flores said that their only role in the ballot printing is to provide the Comelec with the printing infrastructure and capacity. The poll body was responsible for the actual printing and design of the ballots, he added. “I think the Comelec is the one capable of addressing these false rumors. All printed ballots have UV marks," Flores, who was in Malaysia, told GMANews.TV in a text message. Other commissioners could not immediately be reached for comment. But in a separate interview, Comelec Commissioner Armando Velasco said the body would tackle the matter at a meeting on Monday. Normal ballots carry two security markings As of January 15, there were 1,882,339 voters in the ARMM, each of whom will be entitled to one ballot. The ARMM ballots are 27 inches long, two inches longer than usual because it carries instructions that have Arabic translations. Normal ballots are currently being printed with both the NPO and Comelec-Smartmatic markings, Jimenez said. Besides the poll body’s five security features, these ballots will be printed with the NPO’s additional UV mark. The poll body said it would only print ballots based on the number of voters who had registered from December 2008 to October 31, 2009. As of January 15, there were already 50,723,734 registered voters, 37,422 voting centers and 76,340 clustered precincts. Jimenez said that the body has already finished printing ballots for Regions II and IV after producing those for ARMM. All the ballots are stored at the NPO office in Quezon City. Larrazabal said that they will begin the shipment of the ballots on April 25. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV

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