Liberal Party senatorial candidate Ralph Recto today urged the Commission on Elections to seriously consider proposals to conduct a parallel manual count of the votes to counter “birth pains” that may come along with the first-ever nationwide automation of the elections. “The coming election is historic on so many levels that it becomes obligatory on the part of Comelec to make sure that there is no room for failure,” Recto said. He explained that since this is the pilot automation of the elections on a nationwide scale, problems that may arise only on May 10 may not be foreseen even if prior field tests are conducted. A Comelec spokesman recently indicated that conducting a parallel manual count of the votes would be almost impossible at this point. “Nothing should be impossible if the task at hand is to safeguard the integrity of the results of the May 10 elections. A parallel manual count should not be a back-up plan, but an annex to Plan A,” Recto said. The former senator had earlier proposed that if a simultaneous manual count for all elective positions cannot be done, then it should be undertaken at least for the positions of president, vice president, senators and party-list representatives. Big business groups have also pushed for the proposal. Recto cast doubt on assertions that there would be much logistical and cost ramifications and personnel implications if a parallel manual count is conducted. “The personnel and the process are already in place. I believe our teachers, who have more experience in manual counting than in an automated system, are capable of executing this proposal,” he said. Also, Recto urged Comelec to bare the security measures it has put in place against attempts to rig the automated elections. He said the poll body should not rely on the assurances of Smartmatic-TIM, the company who was awarded with election automation project, that the system is fail-safe and fool-proof. “Comelec should come up with security measures of its own. There is always room for cheating even if the elections are automated, especially if there are those determined to subvert the will of the electorate,” Recto explained. He said he could think of a number of ways on how “cheaters” can rig the elections even under an automated system. “For those with money, buying your own counting machines is one. Hacking the transmission system for the results is another. And so on,” Recto noted. The former senator said Comelec should not appear too dependent on Smartmatic-TIM for the conduct of the automated polls. “As the body tasked to ensure honest, orderly and peaceful elections, it is well within Comelec’s power to do whatever it can to fulfill its mandate. It should exercise its powers convincingly,” Recto said.