The absence of implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the automated election law or RA 9369 has allowed Comelec to circumvent the said law such as by non-implementation of the required source code review, continuity plan, voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT), etc.; and, by proclamation of winning candidates not based on electronically transmitted and digitally signed election returns (ERs) and certificates of canvass (COCs) by the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) and Board of Canvassers (BOCs).

These are often discussed in the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee (JCOC) headed by Sen. Koko Pimentel and Cong. Senen Sarmiento, now the DILG head. But surprisingly, the salient points stipulated in Section 33 of RA 9369 related to the function of the JCOC were never discussed. Let’s review these points and assess correspondingly what has already transpired since its enactment, to wit: