Dasmarinas City Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr., the NUP vice president for external affairs, said the Supreme Court was likely to issue a temporary restraining order against this hybrid-type of vote counting because it would be against the provisions of Republic Act 9369 or the Automated Election System law.

Another NUP member, Capiz Representative Fredenil Castro, warned that reverting to manual elections whether in full or as part of a hybrid system, would be grounds for impeaching the Comelec commissioners.

“The Comelec should not be doing the hybrid. It is not a welcome development even if,  [for the sake of argument], the automation law allows it. The Comelec should stand by its earlier commitment to fully automate the 2016 election unless it is ready to accept a zero credibility for its lack of resolve and ambivalence,” said Castro,  who chairs the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms.

Barzaga and Castro were reacting to reports that the Comelec was considering adopting the Precinct Automated Tallying System (PATAS) being proposed by former Comelec Commissioner Gus Lagman.

The PATAS system reportedly involves the manual counting of votes but in conjunction with laptop counting or automated canvassing.

Even Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who sits as honorary chairman of the NUP, advised the Comelec to reject Lagman’s hybrid system.

“Basically I’m for full automation and we should push for that instead of hybrid system,” Belmonte said.