MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has promulgated its rules and regulations for the random manual audit of the automated election system to ensure its accuracy for the 2013 mid-term elections.

In its resolution issued late December 2012, the poll body ruled that it shall appoint a random manual audit (RMA) team composed of five (5) members per legislative district specifically designated to conduct the RMA and, in case of unavailability, a substitute member per legislative district shall be appointed.

All RMAT members shall be under the direct control and supervision of the RMA Committee. The RMA Committee will designate Election Officers, or in lieu thereof, Provincial Election Supervisors or the Assistant Regional Election Director for NCR, as the case may be, as Coordinators for the conduct of the RMA.

The RMAT shall be composed of five (5) members:

The Department of Education (DepEd) shall submit a list of at least six (6) proposed RMAT members per legislative district not later than the 15th of January of the year of the Elections. Five (5) of the proposed RMAT members per legislative district shall be pre-selected by the RMA Committee to serve in the randomly selected clustered precinct per legislative district. The other proposed member shall serve as substitute, if the need for it arises.

In case of absence or illness of an RMAT member, the RMAT members who are present shall call upon the substitute to perform the duties of the absent member.

The RMAT is empowered to conduct the RMA in the polling place of the randomly selected clustered precincts.

The honorarium for each RMAT member shall be P2,000 which shall cover their remuneration for services rendered in performing the RMA, in addition to their meal allowance and their transportation allowance.

Four (4) days before the day of the Elections, the List of Municipalities involved in RMA shall be released.

The List of Specific Clustered Precincts that will undergo RMA shall be disclosed two (2) days prior'to the day of the Elections.

One (1) clustered precinct per legislative district will be drawn randomly using an automated random selection program, subject to Source Code Review by Political Parties and Accredited Citizen's Arm Groups.

Source Code Review must be initiated by the last week of March the year of the elections but must be finished within thirty (30) days thereafter.

The selection of the clustered precinct will be open to the media, political parties and other election stakeholders to ensure speedy dissemination of information and for transparency.

The RMA shall take place in the polling place of the randomly selected clustered precinct.

The RMA shall be conducted immediately after the sealing of the ballot box by the BEI.

The RMA shall be conducted in the presence of poll watchers, political parties, citizen's arm groups, media and the public.

Upon commencement of the RMA until the same is terminated, the regular BEI shall not be allowed inside the polling place of the randomly selected clustered precinct or to communicate with RMAT in whatever manner.