FACT-CHECK: No mismatch in ACM hash code, audit report – Comelec 

Claim: The source code of the automated counting machines (ACMs) is not audited because its hash code supposedly does not match the one in the audit report posted on the Comelec website. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim, made in a one-minute and 38-second video by vice mayoral candidate Jeryll Harold Respicio of Reina Mercedes, Isabela, was posted and widely shared on social media on Saturday, May 10.

As of this writing, the video has gained over 100,000 likes, 4,000 comments, and more than 24,000 shares, raising concerns about the credibility of the election system. 

The video claims a discrepancy between the version of the hash code in the audit reports on the Comelec website and the version used in the ACM. 

“Malaking balita mga kababayan. Nakakabahala po. Kaka-check ko lang po yung  kaka-upload ng Comelec na source code review report, hinanap ko po dun yung hash code na naka-install na software doon sa ACMs na nakita ko noong final testing and sealing day. Hinanap ko po doon pero doon sa audit report, ang na-aduit lang nila hanggang sa 3.4 version. Yung naka-install sa ACMs ay 3.5 version kaya yung hash code na nasa machine ay 0438. Yung 0438 na hashcode na yun starting ay wala sa mga hash codes na nakalabas doon sa audit report ng source code na nilabas ng Comelec,” Respicio said in the video. 

(Big news, fellow citizens. This is concerning. I just checked the newly uploaded source code review report from Comelec. I looked for the hash code of the software installed on the ACMs that I saw during the final testing and sealing day. I searched for it in the report, but in the audit report, what was audited only goes up to version 3.4. The version installed on the ACMs is version 3.5, so the hash code on the machine is 0438. That 0438 hash code at the start is not among the hash codes listed in the source code audit report released by Comelec.)

He proceeded to interpret his observation, “Ibig sabihin po yung naka-install sa ACMs ngayon na version 3.5 na may hashcode na 0438 ay hindi yun kasama sa mga na-audit ng technical evaluation committee ng Comelec.”

(This means that the version 3.5 currently installed in the ACMs, which has the hash code 0438, was not among those audited by Comelec’s Technical Evaluation Committee.)

The facts: Comelec clarified in a statement that no such mismatch or discrepancy exists. In fact, the hash values shown in the video and the report posted on the Comelec website are the same and match accurately. 

“Para sa kaalaman ng lahat, duly audited ang source code ng ACM at tugma ang hash code na ginagamit nito sa final trusted build na audited ng Independent Party Auditor – International Certification Entity,” the statement reads.  

(For the information of everyone, the source code of the ACM has been duly audited, and the hash code it uses matches the final trusted build that was audited by an Independent Party Auditor – an International Certification Entity)

Comelec further explained that the version 3.4 mentioned in the Local Source Code Review Report is the same version that passed the independent audit. After passing the audit, it was designated as version 3.5, which is the version currently used in the ACM, as shown in the candidate’s video. 

These source codes, saved in digital storage devices after completing the Full Final Trusted Build and Local Source Code Review, play a crucial role in upholding the credibility, transparency, and auditability of the electoral process.

Certification secured: Comelec has secured the required certification for the automated election system to be used in the 2025 polls, completing the legal and technical prerequisites for its implementation.

The certification was issued by the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC), which found that the AES “can operate properly, securely, and accurately.” The TEC is composed of representatives from the Comelec, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and Department of Science and Technology. 

Previous complaint: This is also not the first time that vice mayoral bet Respicio has made false claims. In February, Comelec filed a complaint against him over Facebook videos where he claimed that he had the ability to manipulate vote-counting machines, and that he allegedly had a “backroom program” that can change election results.

Election fact checks: Rappler has also previously debunked fact checks related to the conduct of the 2025 elections:

• FACT CHECK: National ID not required to vote in May 2025 elections
• FACT CHECK: No 24-hour curfew in Cavite from May 1 to 15, 2025
• FACT CHECK: Encrypted code in online voting a security feature – Comelec
• FACT CHECK: Comelec’s ballot is not prone to overvote due to ink bleeding
• FACT CHECK: QR codes in voter receipt don’t show names of candidates voted for

– Jene Pangue/Rappler.com 

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