TO those who look to having presidential elections in 2016 all for the sake of having elections, the appointment of a new chairman and two new commissioners of the Commission on Elections is a welcome thing. To those who demand a complete overhaul of the electoral system before we hold any elections in 2016 or at any time, it is a meaningless and empty thing. We need a thoroughgoing electoral reform before we hold another election, and having a full Comelec of seven commissioners is not a reform. It is simply one of the many things crying for reform.

The removal of the rigged precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, which, to many people, rendered our two previous elections “hocus PCOS” operations, and its replacement by a publicly vetted and completely transparent voting system, is the first absolutely necessary reform. A large and vibrant scientific community is eager to help come up with such a system. In just a few days we could be looking at some of these proposals coming from our own experts. All that is needed is for the Congress, the Executive Department, the Comelec, and of course the citizenry to match the eagerness of this community with their own.

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