Republic of the Philippines COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Intramuros, Manila GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ON BAS, Sheriff M. Chairperson THE USE OF THE VOTER PARRENO, AA. Commissioner REGISTRATION VERIFICATION GUIA, Luie Tito F. Commissioner SYSTEM FOR THE ELECTORAL GUANZON, Ma. Rowena Amelia A. Commissioner BOARDS IN PILOT AREAS, IN _INTING, Socorro B. Commissioner CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 13, CASQUEJO, Marion S. Commissioner 2019 NATIONAL AND LOCAL KHO, Antonio T. Jr. Commissioner ELECTIONS. -x Promulgated: April 8, 2019 RESOLUTION wo. 1052 WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 10367 mandates the Commission on Elections (Commission) to implement biometrics technology in the registration of voters in order to establish a clean, permanent and updated list of voters. With the implementation of the biometrics technology, each and every voter information is now stored in the national/local databases of the Commissi and used in manually establishing the identity of voters during elections, through the use of the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL); WHEREAS, there is a need to provide rules and instructions for the Electoral Boards (EBs) in pilot areas, on the use and processes of the VRVS; NOW THEREFORE, the Commission, by virtue of the powers vested in it by the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act No. 10367 and other registration and election laws, RESOLVED, as it is hereby RESOLVES, to promulgate the following General Instructions on the VRVS. ARTICLE I DEFINITION OF TERMS SECTION 1. Definition of Terms. -As uscd in this General Instructions the following terms shall mean: COMMISSION refers to the Commission on Elections; ELECTION DAY COMPUTERIZED VOTER’S LIST (EDCVL) refers to the computerized list of registered voters with voting records in the polling place as generated by the Information Technology Department (ITD) of the Commission; z£ELECTORAL BOARDS (EBs) refers to the Board of Election Inspectors (BEN); PILOT AREAS shall refer to the provinces and cities where the VRVS shall be implemented during May 13, 2019 NLE; POLLING PLACE shall refer to the place where the EB conducts its proceeding and where the voters cast their votes; POSTED COMPUTERIZED VOTER’S LIST (PCVL) shall refer to the computerized list of voters posted outside each polling place; VOTER REGISTRATION VERIFICATION MACHINE (VRVM) shall refer to the hardware where the VRVS shall be installed; and VOTER REGISTRATION VERIFICATION SYSTEM (VRVS) shall refer to the system installed in the VRVM that will verify the identity of a voter by scanning his/her fingerprints and match the same with the data installed in the VRVM per clustered precinct. ARTICLE IL VRVS PILOT AREAS AND VOTER INFORMATION FIELDS SECTION 2. The VRVS shall be pilot tested in the following areas: 1 2: 3. Davao City; 4. Pangasinan Province including all cities; 5. Cavite Province including all cities; 6. Cebu Province including all cities; 7. Negros Occidental Province including all cities; 8. Zamboanga del Sur Province including all cities; 9. Davao del Sur Province including all cities; 10. Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM); Pursuant to Comelec Minute Resolution No, 19-2017 11. Caloocan City; 12. Iloilo Province including all cities; 13. Nueva Ecija Province including all cities; and 14. Misamis Oriental Province including all cities. The DESO Technical Support Staff (DESO-TSS) in Caloocan City, Ioilo, Nueva Ecija and Misamis Oriental, shall be designated as the VRVM ‘Technical Support and shall be entitled to an additional Php500.00 for communication allowance and Php500.00 additional honorarium. The VRVS shall be loaded with the following voter’s information: 1. Name (Pirst Name, Middle Name and Surname); 2. — Voting Jurisdiction; a. Province; b. City/Municipality; c. Clustered Precinct; and d. Established Precincts3. Photograph; and 4. Fingerprints. ARTICLE Ill DEPLOYMENT AND REVERSE LOGISTICS SECTION 3, DEPLOYMENT OF VRVM. The logistics provider shall receive the VRVMs at the Sta. Rosa Warehouse and deliver the same to the regional hubs. From regional hubs, the VRVMs will be delivered to the polling places/voting centers, before the conduct of the Diagnostic Procedures. SECTION 4. REVERSE LOGISTICS. The same logistics provider shall retrieve the VRVMs at the polling places/voting centers to be brought to the regional hubs and finally to the Sta. Rosa Warehouse. In case the logistics provider is not available to receive the VRVM at the end of the voting session, the EBs shall turnover the VRVMs and its peripherals to the Election Officer (EO), for safekeeping. The logistics provider shall retrieve the VRVMs from the EO and follow the same route for reverse logistics, provided above. SECTION 5. CUSTODY AND RESPONSIBILITY. The custody and responsibility over the VRVMs and its peripherals are with the following: BEFORE VOTING a. Packing and Shipping Committee (PSC), while the VRVMs are in its custody; and b. Logistics provider/forwarder, after the VRVMs are dispatched by the PSC, until the same are delivered to the EBs at the polling places. AFTER VOTING a. EBs, while the VRVMs are in their custody Immediately after the conduct of voting the EBs shall ensure that the VRVM and its peripherals are complete and properly accounted for based on the Checklist. Thereafter, they shall accomplish a Turn-over Checklist which shall be subscribed before the EO; In case an item is missing, the EB shall take necessary steps to determine the whereabouts of the missing item/s and exert efforts to recover the same. When any or all of the items are lost or damaged, a brief narration of the incident shall be indicated in the Turn-over Checklist. In case of missing or damaged VRVM and peripherals, a corresponding investigation shall be conducted to determine liability if there is any. The EO shall ensure that the above obligations of the EBs are faithfully complied with.b. Logistics provider/forwarder, while the same are in its custody The logistics provider/forwarder shall retrieve the VRVM and its peripherals at the polling places immediately after the conduct of voting. c. PSC, after receipt from the logistics provider/forwarder The logistics provider/forwarder shall deliver to PSC, at specified COMELEC Warehouse/s the packed and sealed VRVMs within the period prescribed in the contract and submit the Turn-over Checklist. After receipt, the PSC shall turn-over said machines to the Information and Technology Department (ITD)/Election Records and Statistics Department (ERSD). ARTICLE IV PROCEDURES FOR THE DIAGNOSTICS AND SEALING OF THE VRVM SECTION 6. The following procedures shall be followed in the conduct of Diagnostics for the VRVM on any day from May 6 to 10, 2019, simultaneous with the conduct of Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) of the Vote Counting Machines (VCMs). The diagnostic procedures of the VRVM shall be performed after all the activities of the FTS are completed as provided in Comelec Resolution No. 10460. A. PRELIMINARIES The Poll Clerk shall: a. Check the tamper proof seal/sticker of the VRVM box; b. Retrieve the following from the VRVM box: i, Checklist; VRVM and Charger; iii. Printer and Charger; iv. Thermal Papers (7 rolls); v. Powerbank and Charger; vi. Smart Cards (3 pes); vii. Usernames and Passwords of EBs; viii, User Manual/Guide; and ix. Lanyard. c. Accomplish the checklist. d. Physically set-up the machine on the table and ensure that the same is secured by a lanyard. €. Connect the power adaptor to the AC power port of the VRVM and plug the other end of the adaptor to the electrical outlet and perform the following:e. 1 Open the VRVM by pressing its power button; ©. 2 Swipe the screen upwards to display the home page and check the following: i. Province; ii, City/Municipality; iii, Polling Place; iv. Clustered Precinct; and v. Established Precincts. . 3 Press Log-in Button; e. 4 Tap Log-in and the numeric toggle; ¢. 5 Enter username and press (>) then type password then press (7); €.6 Scan the Smart Card. B. DIAGNOSTICS . Press the button “CONFIRM SCREEN CHECK”; “The screen has been verified” shall be displayed. Press the next button (>); . Sean the Smart Card in the card reader; . “The card reader has been successfully tested” shall be displayed. Press the next button (>); Press “START SCAN” button; Place a finger at the red lighted fingerprint scanner; . “The fingerprint scanner has been successfully tested” shall be displayed. Press the next button (>); Check the printer and the thermal paper. Test that the thermal printer has been correctly paired and functioning, by printing the test receipt. The VRVM should automatically pair with the thermal printer via Bluetooth without any need to manually set it up: h.1 Press the “SET - UP PRINTER” button; h.2 Select the printer assigned by ticking the printer name; h.3 Press “PRINT TEST button; h.4 After the test print, press feed button on the printer and detach the test receipt; h.5 Press “CONFIRM PRINT® test button. “The printer has been successfully tested” shalll be displayed; In case of failure to pair the printer with the VRVS, the Poll Clerk shall check that the Bluetooth function in the VRVM is open/running, if not, click on it. In case the printer and the VRVS do not automatically pair, the Poll Clerk shall manually connect it via Bluetooth. Should pairing still fail, follow the procedure provided in Section 17, Article VI; Press next button (>);k. Press “CONFIRM SD CARD CHECK" button; 1. “The SD card has been verified” shall be displayed. Press next button (>); m, Press “START SCAN? button; n. Ask the voter to place his/her finger on the fingerprint scanner and wait for the corresponding voter profile to be displayed (For Diagnostics purposes, two (2) voters shall undergo the fingerprint (Auto search) verification; In the absence of registered voters for the particular clustered precinct during the Diagnostics, proceed with Manual Verification and type any letter in the surname or the first name box; o. Press “VERIFY” button; p. Press “OK” button; q. Click on “GO TO MANUAL SEARCH” button; r. Ask voter’s first or last name and input in the corresponding field and wait for the matching profile to be displayed. Two (2) voters shall undergo manual search verification; s. Select the matching profile and check the same to confirm the identity of the voter; t. Press “CONFIRM VERIFICATION” button; u. Press “OK? to proceed; v. Wait for the Diagnostic Summary and print the Diagnostic Report; w. After printing, close diagnostic button; x. Shut down the VRVM and its peripherals and return the same in the main VRVS box, together with the Smartcards, usernames, passwords, checklist, thermal papers, manual/user guide and lanyard. y. Seal the box. ARTICLE V PROCEDURES FOR THE VERIFICATION OF VOTERS UNDER THE VOTER REGISTRATION VERIFICATION SYSTEM (VRVS) , SECTION 7. ELECTION DAY. The Poll Clerk shall set-up the VRVM, in the same manner as provided in Section 6Ja),(b) and (d) of Article IV of this ResolutionSECTION 8. ENROLLMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ELECTORAL BOARDS. The EBs shall: a. Go to settings and click on EBs input; b. Type the first and last name of the three (3) EB members; c. Click validate button for each of the EBs full name; d. Click the check mark on the keyboard and then click on “BACK” icon. SECTION 9, OPENING OF THE VRVM. Not later than 6:00 AM on Election Day: The Chairperson shall: a. Open the VRVM by pressing its power button. In case the VRVM is in a “SLEEP” mode, open the VRVM by short pressing/tapping its power button; b. Swipe screen upwards and press PHILIPPINE VOTE. Then press “LOG — IN" ¢. Input Chairperson username and password. Press continue; d. Tap Smartcard on the card reader; €. Press “OPEN VERIFICATION” on the Dashboard to open voting; f, Ask the Poll Clerk to input his/her username and password. Press continue; g. Click the arrow icon on the right portion of the screen to LOG - OUT. A window will appear showing “ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO LOG - OUT’. Press “YES"; The Poll Clerk shall: h. Press “LOG - IN"; i, Input Poll Clerk username and password. Press “CONTINUE”; j. Tap Smartcard on the card reader; k. Click on the Search Voter Record and verify from the Search Voter Screen that the number of registered voters whose data are loaded in the VRVS, corresponds to the number of registered voters in the EDCVL; 1. Record in the Minutes such fact of checking, inchiding any discrepancies in the figures between the VRVS and the EDCVL.SECTION 10. PROCEDURE FOR FINGERPRINT (AUTOSEARCH) VERIFICATION. ‘The Poll Clerk shall: a. Ask the name of the voter and verify if included in the Lists of Voters Manually Crossed-Out and/or Included pursuant to Comelec Resolution No. 10516, provided by the EO: a.1 If found in the manually crossed-out list, explain to the voter that he/she will not be allowed to vote and Record in the Minutes the name/s of the voter/s and the action taken, a.2 If found in the inclusion list, follow the procedures laid down in Comelec Resolution No. 10516. Record in the Minutes the name/s of the voter/s and the action taken. a.3 If not found in both lists, proceed with fingerprint (Autosearch) verification. Indelible Ink Stain Check a.4. Before doing the fingerprint (Autosearch) verification, check first the voter’s fingernail for any indelible ink stain, in accordance with Section 72, (b) (2), Article VIII of Resolution No. 10460. b. Click on the Scan Button, and instruct the voter to place any of his/her biometrically-registered finger (either the left or right thumb, or left or right index finger or any other finger in case of amputation) to the fingerprint scanner until the red light disappears; b.1 Should the fingerprint scan fail to result in successful verification, the Poll Clerk shall instruct the voter to place any of his/her other biometrically-registered finger to the scanner and repeat the above-described process. b.2 Fingerprint scanning can only be done a maximum of four (4) times. If there is still failure of verification despite the fingerprint auto search method, the Poll Clerk shall proceed with manual (visual) verification provided in Sec. 11, of this Resolution. b.3 If the fingerprint scan result indicates that the person has already been “authorized”, the Poll Clerk shall verify in the EDCVL if said voter has already voted and record the incident in the Minutes. c. Click on the verify button. The Verification Receipt shall be automatically generated and printed. The receipt shall be detached and be given to the voter, who shall then be instructed to proceed immediately to the Chairperson for the presentation of the receipt; ¢.1 Verification receipt shall be generated/printed only once. c.2 In no case shall the verification receipt be taken outside of the polling place.d, Click “OK” to end the verification of the particular voter and the VRVM shall automatically display the Search Voter Screen; and ¢. Gently wipe/clean the fingerprint scanner with a non-abrasive cloth before proceeding to call on another voter. ‘The Chairperson shall: f. Place the VRVM receipt inside the envelope provided for the purpose; g. Thereafter, follow the pertinent procedure for the issuance of the official ballot provided in Section 72, (b), (6), Article VIII, Resolution No. 10460 and Section 17, B, 3, Part III, Resolution No. 10486. SECTION 11. PROCEDURE FOR MANUAL (VISUAL) VERIFICATION. Manual (visual) verification shall be used to establish the identity of the following: a. Regular voter - _In case Fingerprint Autosearch Verification is not feasible (e.g., physical handicap), or the VRVM fails to establish the identity of the voter; and b. Emergency Accessible Polling Places (EAPP) Voter - Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), Senior Citizens and Heavily Pregnant Women availing of the EAPP pursuant to Comelec Resolution No. 10486. ‘The Poll Clerk shall: REGULAR VOTER: c. d. Click on “GO TO MANUAL SEARCH” button; Request the Chairperson to enter the Chairperson’s username and password and tap the Smart Card; Ask the Name (Given Name, Middle Name and/or Surname) of the voter. Enter any one of said name in the provided field and click on the Search togele and wait for the matching profile to be displayed; Show the matching profile to the voter and check the same to confirm the identity of the voter, then press “SELECT”; and £1 If the manual verification is successful and the identity of the voter is established, the Poll Clerk shall proceed with the same verification procedure described in the preceding section including receipt printing, verification confirmation and EDCVL signing, If manual (visual) search still fails, the Poll Clerk shall proceed with EDCVL verification, in the manner provided in Section 72, (b), (1,2,3 and 4), Article VIII, Resolution No. 10460.EMERGENCY ACCESSIBLE POLLING PLACES (EAPP) VOTER: The Department of Education Supervisor Official (DESO) EAPP Support Staff (DESO EAPP SS) shall: h. Handover the Authorization Form and ID card or document presented for identification purposes, if any, to the Poll Clerk (Section 17 (A), (5), Resolution No. 10486) The Poll Clerk shall: i, Upon receipt of the Authorization Form proceed with the manual (visual) verification following the above procedure for regular voter; j. Note in the Minutes the name of the voter, the ID card or document presented for identification purposes, if any, precinct number and serial number of the Authorization Form. Attach the Authorization Form to the Minutes; k. Instruct the DESO EAPP SS to present the verification receipt to the Chairperson. The Chairperson shall: 1. Authenticate and issue the ballot to the DESO EAPP SS pursuant to Comelec Resolution No. 10486; m. Instruct the Poll Clerk to note in the space for the voter's signature in the EDCVL “EAPP Voter pursuant to Res. 10486” and the Chairperson shall affix his/her signature in the EDCVL; and n. Place the verification receipt inside the envelope intended for the purpose. SECTION 12. AFFIXING SIGNATURE IN THE EDCVL. Consistent with Section 72(b)(5), Article VIII, Resolution No. 10460, require the voter to sign in the EDCVL. In case of illiterate voters or PWDs who cannot sign, require the said voters to affix their thumbmarks in the EDCVL, SECTION 13. CLOSING THE VRVM. At the end of voting hours: The Poll Clerk shall: a. Click the arrow icon on the upper right portion of the screen to LOG ~ OUT. A window will appear showing “ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO LOGOUT”. Press “YES”; ‘The Chairperson shall: b. Press “LOGIN"; c. Input Chairperson username and password. Press “CONTINUE”; d. Tap Smartcard on the card reader. Then press “CLOSE”; e. Press “YES” to confirm the closing of the voting session; and 10f. Ask the Poll Clerk to input his/her username and password. Then Press “CONFIRM” in order to end the voting session. Once the VRVM has been closed, it can no longer be opened. SECTION 14, GENERATION OF REPORTS AND BACK-UP. The Poll Clerk shall cause the generation of the following reports in PDF fil a. List of voters who actually voted; b. List of voters who did not vote; c. List of voters found in the database but cannot be verified thru fingerprint; d. Number of registered voters and voters who actually voted; and e. Number of voters found in the database but cannot be verified thru fingerprint per clustered precinct. The reports shall contain the following information: Province; City/Municipality; Barangay; Polling center; and Clustered precinct number. epege After the generation of the Reports, the Poll Clerk shall perform the back- up of data as follows: Click “BACK” to go to the Dashboard; Click “UPDATE VOTING HISTORY” button; Click “YES” to confirm backup; Click “OK” to close the message that the project has been successfully exported in the SD card. fe re ‘The envelope containing the verification receipts, shall be placed inside the ballot box. ARTICLE VI CONTINGENCY MEASURES SECTION 15. MISDELIVERY. If there is misdelivery of VRVM, the Chairperson shall report to the DESO, who shall in turn check if said occurrence is a result of misdelivery or swapping of VRVMs within his/her assigned voting center, otherwise, the DESO shall immediately report the matter to the EO. If the misdelivery is within the same city/municipality/district, the EO shall coordinate with respective DESO to resolve the misdelivery. If the misdelivered VRVM belongs to a different city/municipality, the EO shall report the matter to the National Command Center (NCC). In all instances, the EO shall submit a report as provided above.SECTION 16. VRVM AND PERIPHERALS MALFUNCTION. In case of malfunction of the VRVM, the Chairperson shall call the attention of the VRVM ‘Technical Support who shall troubleshoot the malfunctioned VRVM. The VRVM Technical Support shall make a report with recommendation to the NTSC. The NTSC shall upon verification, authorize the EO/Authorized Representative to retrieve the contingency VRVM from the regional hubs or other hubs designated by the Commission and bring it to the polling place to replace the malfunctioned VRVM: a. Upon receipt of the contingency VRVM, VRVM Technical Support shall retrieve the SD Card containing the precinct data from the malfunctioning VRVM and insert it on the contingency VRVM} b. While waiting for the contingency VRVM to arrive, the EB shall proceed the verification of voters through the use of EDCVL. The same procedure shall be followed in case of malfunction of peripherals. SECTION 17. FAILURE TO PAIR PRINTER WITH THE VRVM. The Chairperson shall observe the reporting protocol provided in Section 16 of this Resolution. Failure of the thermal printer to be paired with the VRVM shall not be a cause for the non-operation of the VRVM. Autosearch and Manual (Visual) verifications may still proceed even without the receipt being printed However, such fact must be reflected in the Minutes. SECTION 18. CORRUPTED SD CARD. In case of corrupted SD Card, the Chairperson shall make a report, in accordance with Section 16 of this Resolution. If confirmed, the VRVM Technical Support shall make a report to the NTSC. In no case shall the SD Card be removed. No replacement SD Card shall be issued. Record the incident in the Minutes. SECTION 19. LACK OF POWER SUPPLY. In an area where there is lack or no power supply or power interruption occurs, and the battery indicator drops to 30% the powerbank shall be used on the VRVM. SECTION 20. LOST/STOLEN/DAMAGED VRVM. In casc the VRVM is lost/stolen/damaged: DURING DIAGNOSTICS a. The Chairperson shall make a report in accordance with the established protocol found in Section 15 of this Resolution. b. If confirmed, the EO shall submit a report to the Command Center copy furnished the National Technical Support Center (NTSC), within 24 hours, for documentation and guidance. AFTER VOTING c. The BO and the logistics provider/forwarder shall, within twenty four(24) hours from the knowledge of such incident, submit a report in writing with attached copy of Turn-over Checklist to the Project Management Office through the NCC.10522 ARTICLE VIL DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES SECTION 21. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. The EBs shall secure the VRVM and its peripherals while in their custody. SECTION 22. ACCOUNTABILITIES. Loss of the VRVM may constitute a violation of Republic Act 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012) and other pertinent laws. ARTICLE VIII APPLICABILITY PROVISION ‘The provisions of this Resolution shall be suppletory to the provisions of Comelec Resolution No. 10460 (“GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ELECTORAL BOARDS ON THE PROCESS OF VOTING, COUNTING AND TRANSMISSIONS OF ELECTION RESULTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 13, 2019 NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS (NLE) and other relevant COMELEC Resolutions, insofar as applicable and when not inconsistent therewith. ARTICLE Ix EFFECTIVITY, PUBLICATION AND DISSEMINATION This Resolution shall take effect on the seventh (7!) day after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines. ‘The Education and Information Department (BID), shall cause the publication of this Resolution and provide copies to the concerned REDs, PESs, EOs and Electoral Boards. SO ORDERED. “ Commissioner MA. ROWENA AMELIA V. GUANZON SgcORRO B. INTH Commissioner Commissioner HE FI Commissioner,