You’d think the guy heading the committee overseeing the high-level tech behind the country’s automated election system would be able to handle a PowerPoint presentation. You’d also be wrong.
A long-serving member of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) who led the agency’s “source code review” committee has stepped down from the team after accidentally flashing a photo of a bikini-clad actress on screen during the review’s launch on Saturday at De La Salle University in Manila.
According to Rappler, the source code is the “master blueprint” of the vote-counting machines that will be used in the elections. You can think of them as somewhat similar to an operating system.
The law, Republic Act 9369, states that the source code has to be reviewed by representatives of candidates, political parties, and the public before the elections to ensure that it functions properly come voting day.
COMELEC spokesperson James Jimenez told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the image — which was his laptop’s wallpaper! — appeared on the projector’s screen as he switched between tabs.
He didn’t name names, but according to GMA News, the swimsuit-clad actress is Jessy Mendiola, who, even straight Filipino women would admit, is pretty attractive.
After quitting the team in charge of the review, Jimenez today apologized for the mistake.
“Last Saturday, we kicked off the source code review and unfortunately there was a small technical issue that resulted in the flashing of an image that was inappropriate to the event,” he told reporters.
“So again, I regret that, but I have to take responsibility because it was our committee that arranged that event and that sort of thing should have been better handled.”
However, while Jimenez is quitting the team in charge of the source code review, but he will stay as the COMELEC’s planning director and spokesperson, reported ABS-CBN.
Here’s a piece of unsolicited advice to Mr. Jimenez: choose a more corporate-looking computer wallpaper. It’s safer that way.
Reader Interactions