REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Intramuros, Manila CONTINGENCY PROCEDURES ABAS, Sheriff M. Chairman IN CONNECTION WITH THE PARRENO, Al A. Commissioner MAY 13, 2019 NATIONAL AND GUIA, Luie Tito F, Commissioner LOCAL ELECTIONS. GUANZON, Ma. Rowena Amelia V. Commissioner Xo INTING, Socorro B. Commissioner CASQUEJO, Marlon S. Commissioner KHO, Antonio T. Jr. Commissioner Promulgated:_February 13, 2019 RESOLUTION NO. 10497 WHEREAS, by virtue of Republic Act No. 9369, the Commission on Elections has resolved to adopt a paper-based automated election system (AES) in connection with the May 13, 2019 National, Local and ARMM Regional Elections, by using Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) in the voting, counting and transmission of election results from the precinct level, and the Consolidation Canvassing System (CCS) in the canvassing/consolidation of the electronically transmitted election results from the precinct/city/municipal/district/ provincial board of canvassers; WHEREAS, Section 11 of Republic Act No. 9369, provided that one of the requirements in the certification of the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) “that the AES, including its hardware and software components, is operating properly, securely, and accurately, in accordance with the provisions of said Act", is the “development, provisioning and operationalization of a continuity plan to cover risks to the AES at all points in the process such that a failure of elections, whether at voting, counting or consolidation, may be avoided” WHEREAS, on December 6, 2018, the Commission promulgated Resolution No. 10460, otherwise known as “General Instructions for the Electoral Boards (EBs) on the Process of Voting, Counting and Transmission of Election Results in Connection with the 13 May 2019 National and Local Pista?WHEREAS, on January 23, 2019, the Commission promulgated Resolution No. 10485, entitled” General Instructions for the Board of Canvassers on the Constitution, Composition and Appointment; Consolidation/Canvass and Transmission in Connection with the 13 May 2019 National and Local Elections."; NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act No. 9369, and other election laws, the Commission HEREBY RESOLVES to promulgate, the following Contingency Procedures in connection with the 13 May 2019 National and Local Elections” Sec. 1. Scope. - These contingency procedures shall supplement: 1) Resolution No. 10460 dated Dec 6, 2018 or Otherwise Known as "General Instructions for the Electoral Boards (EBs) on the Process of Voting, Counting and Transmission of Election Results in Connection with the 13 May 2019 National and Local Elections" ; 2) Resolution No.10485, dated January 23, 2019 entitled "General Instructions for the Board of Canvassers on the Constitution, Composition and Appointment; Consolidation/Canvass and Transmission in Connection with the 13 May 2019 National and Local Elections”; Sec. 2, Definition of Terms. - 1. BOC — Board of Canvassers, body constituted under COMELEC Resolution No. 10485. 2. CCS — Consolidation Canvassing System. 3. CCS Operator — Consolidation Canvassing System Operator. 4. Continuity Plan —a list of contingency measures, and the policies for activation of such, that are put in place to ensure continuous operation of the AES. 5. Commission — refers to the Commission on Elections. 2 . DESO - Dep Ed Supervising Official. x . DESO-TSS - DESO Technical Support Staff. 8. EB — Electoral Board, the body which conducts the election in the polling place of the precinct usually composed of public school teachers appointed by the Commission. 9. NTSC — National Technical Support Center, where all AES-related contingencies nationwide are reported, addressed and resolved, manned by the PMO Technology Group from COMELEC, the NTSC officers, technicians and coordinators. &10. NCC - National Command Center. 11. VCM — Vote Counting Machine. 12. VCM Box - Refers to the VCM and its peripherals as enumerated in the checklist. Sec. 3. Organizational Structure of the National Technical Support Center - For the purpose of implementing this Contingency Plan, the following Organizational Structure is hereby adopted: CONTINGENCY PLAN ORGANIZATIONAL CHART TaD Senn Cova ¥ PROECT MANAGE y PMO PROJECT DIRECTOR - comet TATONAL TENE ‘SUPPORT CENTER (NTSC) wiona comma CENTER (NCC) REGIONAL ELECTION } binerons (ne) i Pmoviicia Leon CALE sa SUPERIORS PE) CONSOLIDATION AND DISTRICT BOARD OF cases z cavassertonog | ELECTION OFFICERS (EOs) OPERATOR CITY/MUNICIPAL BOARD OF (CCS Operator} ‘CANVASSERS (C/MBOC) OFFICIAL (DESO) DESO TECHNICAL SUPPORT (2) =——— ‘STAFF (DESO-TSS)Sec. 4, General Procedures A. Announcement by the Electoral Board (EB)/ Board of Canvassers (BOC). - To promote transparency and avoid confusion or suspicion by voters and watchers in the polling place/canvassing venue, the EB/BOC Chairperson shall first announce the problem, and the contingency procedures to be undertaken, before performing the procedures. ew . In all cases, contingency measures and procedures shall be undertaken by the EBs/BOCs, in the presence of watchers, if any, and shall be noted in the Minutes. Sec. 5. Contingency Procedures Applicable to the Vote Counting Machine (VCM). - In the event that problems arise during the conduct of the elections on May 13, 2019 in the precinct level involving the VCM, the following contingency measures shall be observed: A. The VCM box has not been delivered during the Final Testing and Sealing (FTS). 1. The EB shall call the Election Officer (EO) who shall likewise call the National Command Center (NCC) to verify the shipment or the VCM box; 2. The NCC shalll inform the EO of the status of delivery of the VCM box. If the NCC determines that the VCM will not arrive on the scheduled FTS, the EO shall re-schedule the FTS to a date not later than election day, with notice to EB, political parties, candidates and accredited citizens’ arm. B. The VCM box has lacking items during FTS. B.1, FTS ballots are lacking. EB shall note in the Minutes and proceed with FTS using the available FTS ballots. B.2. No FTS ballots in the VCM box. 1. EB shall call the EO. 2. EO shall inform the NCC. 3. EO shall move the conduct of FTS on election day with notice to EB, political parties, candidates and accredited citizens’ arm. For this purpose, the EB must observe the following procedures:B3. fy 2. BA. 1. 2 BS. a) FTS should be conducted at least two (2) hours before the opening of the polls following the procedures laid down in the Comelec Resolution 10460; b) Only three (3) Official Ballots shall be used for the FTS; ¢) After the FTS procedure, EB shall retrieve the FTS ballots from the ballot box, mark across the face of the ballots the phrase “FTS ballots” and place them inside the Envelope for Counted Test Ballots, ERs and Other Reports. All/Majority EB PINs/Passwords are unavailable/denied. EB shall inform the DESO-TSS. DESO-TSS shall refer the matter to the NTSC, which in turn, refer the same to the PMO Project Director to authorize the issuance of the PINs/Passwords. . EB shall use the PINs/Passwords issued. | DESO-TSS shall inform NTSC on the acceptance of the PINs/Passwords provided. All iButtons/SD Cards or majority of the iButtons are unavailable. EB shall inform the DESO-TSS. DESO-TSS shall report the same to the NTSC and EO. NTSC shall refer the matter to the PMO Project Director who shall authorize the issuance of the iButtons/SD cards to the EB and advise NTSC on the action taken. | The NTSC shall inform the EO of the status of delivery of the iButtons/SD Cards. If the NTSC determines that the iButtons/SD Cards will not be delivered on the scheduled FTS, it shall advise the EO to re- schedule the FTS to a date not later than election day, with notice to EB, political parties, candidates and accredited citizens’ arm. Lacking item/s inside the VCM box (VCM power cord or adaptor, security seal/sealing sticker, tie wrap, cleaning sheets, thermal Paper, marking pens, checklist, headset, battery cable, USB modem, or sim cards)1. The EB shall announce to the watchers present, if any, that FTS shall proceed in accordance with COMELEC Resolution No. 10460. 2. EB shall inform the DESO-TSS about the lacking item/s. 3. DESO-TSS shall report the same to theNTSC. 4. NTSC shall advise DESO-TSS the actions to be taken. C. VCM malfunctions. 1. EB shall call the DESO-TSS assigned in the polling place. 2. DESO-TSS shall determine the cause of the malfunction and solve it. 3. If DESO-TSS cannot solve the malfunction, the DESO-TSS shall report the incident to the NTSC and EO. 4, DESO-TSS shall attempt to troubleshoot the VCM with the help of NTSC support personnel, 5. After sixty (60) continuous minutes of failure and non - operation of the VCM, the NTSC shall authorize the EO or the authorized representative concerned for the deployment of a contingency VCM for replacement. 6 EO mustretrieve the contingency VCM from the Regional Hub or other Hubs designated by the Commission and bring it to the polling place to replace the malfunctioned VCM. 7. DESO-TSS shall perform the replacement procedure of the VCM. & While waiting for the VCM malfunction to be resolved or arrival of the replacement VCM, the EB shall announce to the voters casting or waiting to cast their votes that they have the option: i) To proceed in casting their votes by shading their ballots which shall be batch-fed by the EB before the close of polls. In this case the EB shall inform the voters that this constitutes waiver of their right to be issued voters receipt. For this purpose, EB shall temporarily place shaded ballots inside the Envelope for Rejected Ballots, Half of Torn Unused Official Ballots and Other Half of Torn Unused Official Ballots, and Counted Official Ballots. ii) To wait for the VCM malfunction to be resolved or the replacement VCM to arrive, for them to cast their votes and personally feed the ballot in the VCM.D. Defective main and/or back-up SD Cards. 1 EB shall call the DESO-TSS assigned in the polling place. 2. The DESO-TSS shall troubleshoot the VCM. If remains unsolved, the DESO- TSS shall report the same to the NTSC and shall perform the procedures advised by NTSC support personnel. 3, If the problem remains unresolved, the DESO-TSS shall contact the NTSC, which shall in turn authorize the EO to deliver the Contingency SD card. In such case, the following procedures shall be observed: If the Main SD card is defective: While the VCM is off, the EB shall remove the Main SD card from slot A and replace it with the Contingency SD card. ii. If the Backup SD card is defective: While the VCM is off, the EB shall remove the Backup SD card from slot B and replace it with the Contingency SD card. If both SD cards (main and back-up) are found defective, the DESO-TSS shall report such fact to the NTSC and the EO concerned. The NTSC shall refer the matter to the PMO Project Director who shall then authorize the replacement of SD Cards, iButtons and Passwords. iii, iv. While waiting for the problem to be resolved or waiting for the reconfigured SD cards to be delivered, the EB shall announce to the voters that voting shall proceed in accordance with item C.8. of this Resolution. E. Ballot jams. 1. If the ballot is visible in the VCM entry slot, the EB, in the presence of watchers and the voter feeding the ballot, shall gently pull out the ballot from the ballot entry slot and allow the voter to re-feed the ballot. 2. Ifthe ballot is not visible in the VCM entry slot, the EB shall remove the VCM from the ballot box and retrieve from the ballot exit slot the ballot causing the jam. 2.1 After the VCM has been cleared of the ballot jam, the EB shall install again the VCM on top of the ballot box and return the ballot to the voter who shall re-feed the ballot to the VCM. If the ballot is rejected by reason that it has already been counted, the EB shall remove the° = 3. L 2 VCM from the ballot box and place the ballot inside the ballot box. Thereafter, install the VCM on top of the ballot box. In case the ballot jam is caused by the improper stacking of the ballots inside the ballot box, the EB shall remove the VCM and shake the ballot box to make room for feeding of additional ballots. 3.1 If there is a need to open the ballot box in order to make room for additional ballots, the EB, in the presence of watchers, shall open the ballot box, press the ballots in order to make room for additional ballots, and thereafter, close the ballot box. .. Thermal paper jam. EB shall open VCM printer cover and gently pull the thermal paper. Once the jam has been removed, the EB shall reload the thermal paper or replace a new thermal paper roll, if required, Continuous rejection of ballots by VCM after initial acceptance of several ballots. y 8 N w ee wn Before feeding the next ballot, the EB shall perform scanner cleaning procedure. If after cleaning, the VCM still rejects the ballot even after feeding in four different orientations, the EB shall call the DESO-TSS assigned in the polling place. DESO-TSS shall determine the cause of the failure and solve it. |. If the problem remains unsolved, the DESO-TSS shall report the incident to the NTSC to ask for proper solution. | DESO-TSS shall attempt to troubleshoot the failure with the help of NTSC support personnel. While waiting for the problem to be resolved, the EB shall announce to the voters that voting shall proceed in accordance with item C.8. of this Resolution. ‘The VCM printer malfunctions. 1. 2. EB shall call the DESO-TSS assigned in the polling place. DESO-TSS shall determine the cause of the problem and solve it.3. If the problem remains unsolved, the DESO-TSS shall report the incident to the NTSC to ask for proper solution. 4. DESO-TSS shall attempt to troubleshoot the failure with the help of NTSC support personnel. 5. If failure persists, the following procedures shall be observed: i. During voting - while waiting for the problem to be resolved, the EB shall announce to the voters that voting shall proceed in accordance with item C.8. of this Resolution. ii, After voting - Use the VCM of the nearby precinct utilizing the main/back-up SD Cards and iButtons of the VCM with defective printer for the printing of the ERs and other reports. If not practicable, the printing shall proceed to the canvassing venue using another VCM upon the order of the Chairman of the BOC. I, Misdelivered Official Ballots. EB shall call the EO who shall then verify with the Treasurer's Office about the misdelivery of ballots. S If the misdelivery is within the same city/municipality/district, the EO shall direct the city/municipal Treasurer to resolve the misdelivery. EO shall report the matter to NCC. wo . Ifthe misdelivered ballots belong to a different city /municipality, the EO shall report the matter to the NCC for proper disposition. J. Power failure on election day. 1. EB shall ensure that the VCM is connected to the battery and report the power failure to the EO. 2. EO shall inquire from the local electric provider on the duration of power interruption and advise the EB on the matter. If power cannot be restored by 5 o'clock in the afternoon on election day, the EO shall provide lighting facilities. K. The battery has been discharged after FTS. 1. EB shall connect the battery to the VCM to charge it if there is power in the polling place.2. In case there is no power in the polling place, EB shall notify the DESO- TSS who shall report the problem to NTSC and EO. L. The date and/or time of the elections as reflected on the VCM screen, Election Returns (ERs) and other reports are incorrect. 1. EB shall inform watchers present of the incorrect date and/or time of elections. 2. EB shall note in the minutes that the date and/or time are incorrect and the watchers were duly informed thereof. M. Re-transmission failed after three (3) attempts. 1. EB shall call the DESO-TSS assigned in the polling place. 2. The DESO-TSS shall determine the cause of the problem, and solve it depending on the transmission media available. 3. If the DESO-TSS cannot solve the problem, report the incident to the NTSC to ask for the proper solution. 4, The DESO-TSS shall attempt to troubleshoot the transmission failure with the help of NTSC support personnel. 5. If the problem is the transmission device, the EB can request a transmission device from any of the other polling places within the same voting center that has finished transmission and attempt to re-transmit. 6 Ifthe failure persists, the EB shall transport the VCM to the nearest voting center previously determined by the EO where communication signal is strong, or to the canvassing venue, as the case may be, to attempt re- transmission. If re-transmission in the nearest voting center fails, the EB shall proceed to the canvassing venue for another re-transmission. If the re- transmission still fails, the BOC Chairperson shall manually upload the data from the main SD card to the CCS laptop. For this purpose, the EB shall complete first all printing and post-election activities except the printing of audit log and execution of "write protect” function before transporting the VCM to the nearest Voting Center or Canvassing venue.7, Reminder to the EBs: When transporting the VCM to the nearest voting center or canvassing venue pursuant to Nos. 5 and 6, the EB shall allow the watchers to accompany thesame. In no case shall the VCM be transported without the presence of the members of the PNP/AFP. N, VCM does not write protect the data. 1. EB shall verify if the date and/or time of the VCM is correct. Ifnot, change to the correct date and/or time and proceed to execute the write protect function of the VCM. 2. If the date and/or time of the VCM is correct, call the DESO-TSS to report the problem who in turn will call the NTSC and perform the procedure given by NTSC. 0. VCM does not shutdown. 1. EB shall hard press the power button. 2. EB shall remove the power adaptor from the power outlet. 3. EB shall disconnect the battery from the VCM. P, The DESO-TSS cannot send report (attendance; open polls, etc). to the NTSC, or the NTSC cannot be reached. 1. The DESO-TSS shall contact the DESO. 2. The DESO shall contact the NTSC on behalf of the DESO-TSS. 3. The NTSC shall contact the DESO-TSS or DESO assigned in the voting center. Q. There is no DESO-TSS in place. 1. EB shall inform the DESO of the absence of the DESO-TSS. 2. The DESO shall inform the EO about the absence of the DESO-TSS. 3. The EO shall designate a substitute DESO-TSS. Sec. 6. Contingency Procedures Applicable to _ the Provincial/District/City/Municipal Board of Canvassers (P/D/C/MBOC). - The procedures to be observed in the event that problems occurred during the ulcanvassing/consolidation of the Provincial/ District/City/Municipal Board of Canvassers (P/D/C/MBOC) on May 13, 2019, are as follows: A. Consolidation and Canvassing System (CCS) malfunctions. 1, 10. w N wo The Board of Canvassers (BOC) shall direct the CCS Operator (CCSO) to repeat the turn-off and turn-on procedure. If the problem persists, the CCSO shall call the NTSC for authority to use the contingency CCS laptop. CCSO shall take the contingency CCS laptop. CCSO shall turn off the defective CCS laptop. CCSO shall remove the SD card from the defective CCS laptop. CCSO shall place the contingency CCS laptop in the designated place in the canvassing venue. CCSO shall insert the SD card into the contingency CCS laptop. CCSO shall connect the contingency CCS laptop to the main power source and turn it on. CCSO shall store the defective CCS laptop in its original packaging and turn-over to the BOC. CCSO shall call NTSC and inform about the acceptance of the contingent CCS laptop. All/Majority of USB tokens are unavailable. CCSO shall inform the NTSC of the missing USB tokens. NTSC shall refer the matter to the PMO Project Director who shall authorize the reconfiguration of SD laptop, SD cards and USB tokens. . CCSO shall inform NTSC of the reconfigured SD laptop, SD cards and USB tokens. C. All/Majority of the BOC PINs/Passwords are unavailable/denied. dy 2. CCSO shall inform the NTSC of the missing pins and/or passwords. NTSC shall refer the matter to the PMO Project Director who shall authorize the issuance of the pins and/or passwords to the BOC and adviseNTSC on the action taken. 3. BOC shall use the pins/passwords issued by the NTSC. 4, CCSO shall inform NTSC of the acceptance of the pins/passwords provided. D. SD card is not available. 1. CCSO shall inform NTSC about the matter. 2. NTSC shall refer the matter to the PMO Project Director who shall authorize the issuance of the blank SD cards to the BOC. 3. CCSO shall insert the blank SD card in the SD card slot. 4. CCSO shall advise NTSC on the action taken. E. There is power supply interruption (Brownout/Blackout] in the canvassing venue. 1. BOC shall call the NCC. 2. NCC shall record the location and ask the BOC to perform the following procedures below: vi. Check the status of the generatorset: gasoline level and cable connections; i. Start-up the generator set: check for the activity indicator in the generator set; Unplug the CCS laptop adaptor from the external electricity source, and plug the same in the generator set outlet; iv. Continually check status of the external electricity source; . When the external electricity source is back, unplug the CCS laptop adaptor from the generator set and connect it to the external electricity power source; Call the NTSC indicating the status of the CCS; and vii. Record the new status in the Minutes. F. There is Network Failure. 1. CCSO shall report the matter to the NTSC. The CCSO shall perform thefollowing procedures: 1.1 Check the status of the network device; 1.2 Unplug the network device, plug again, and test the connection; and 1.3 If the CCS failed to connect, then call the NTSC indicating the status of the CCS. 2. The NTSC shall check the network status with the Network Providers and advise the CCSO for action to be taken. 3. If CCS is able to connect to the network, then no further action is needed. If unable to connect, the network technician shall check the network device and network availability with the Provider. 4, Once the connection is ready, the CCSO shall call the NTSC indicating the status of the CCS. G. There is a Catastrophe: Fire, Flood, Earthquake and others. 1. If required to leave the canvassing venue, the BOC shall secure all equipment, election forms and supplies, inform all political party representatives, citizens’ arm and watchers present of the transfer or suspension of canvassing, and then proceed with security personnel to a safer place. 2. BOC shall report the same to NCC. H. There is sabotage, equipment robbery and other similarcircumstances. BOC shall check all the equipment, forms and supplies. If there are missing item/s, report to the local PNP for proper documentation. Thereafter, call the NCC/NTSC to inform about the missing item/s. Sec. 7. Authority of the Commission to Adopt Additional Contingency Procedures. - The Commission may adopt additional contingency procedures in the voting, counting, consolidation, transmission, storage, custody, distribution and retrieval of accountable forms and paraphernalia to fulfil its Constitutional mandate to ensure free, orderly, honest, and peaceful and credible elections. Sec. 8. Effectivity and Dissemination. — This Resolution shall take effect after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines. ‘The Education and Information Department (EID) shall cause the publication of this Resolution and shall furnish copies thereof to all Regional Election10497 Directors, Provincial Election Supervisors, Election Officers and Electoral Boards nationwide. SO ORDERED. . SI IRF M. ABAS yootnns7 Chairman NO LUIE/TITO F. GUIA Commissioner Commissioner On Leave MA. ROWENA AMELIA V. GUANZON SOCORRO B. INTING Commissioner Commissioner A FoK0 keno Commissioner