APC students developed AI, QR tools for NAMFREL during BARMM polls

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Asia Pacific College (APC) students developed artificial intelligence, data analytics and mobile technologies that supported the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) during the 2026 Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Election.

A team of 44 students and nine faculty members from APC’s School of Computing and Information Technologies and School of Engineering worked under the NAMFREL Elections Data Analytics Center. They designed, developed and supported technology solutions used for election analytics, monitoring, reporting and cybersecurity.

The students came from APC’s Computer Science, Information Technology and Computer Engineering programs.

Among the technologies developed was an interactive election analytics platform that transformed election data into visualizations and insights.

The platform allowed users to examine election results, election return transmissions, voter turnout, overvotes and other election indicators through interactive dashboards.

Hosted on APC’s infrastructure, the platform was designed to provide secure and reliable access to election information while enabling the timely visualization of incoming data.

The team also developed Project SAIR, or Sentiment Analysis and Incident Reporting, an AI-powered monitoring platform that brought together publicly available election-related news and incident reports submitted by field volunteers.

Using AI-assisted, aspect-based sentiment analysis, Project SAIR organized and analyzed information from multiple sources through a unified dashboard. It provided NAMFREL with an additional tool for monitoring emerging issues, identifying information that required attention and supporting data-informed election observation.

Another technology developed for the polls was the NAMFREL Operation QR Count 2026 mobile application.

The app allowed volunteers and citizens to independently check publicly posted Election Returns by scanning their QR codes, providing a technology-enabled mechanism that supported NAMFREL’s citizen-led election monitoring and verification activities.

The team also implemented cybersecurity measures and monitoring mechanisms behind the dashboards, AI platform and mobile application.

These measures were designed to strengthen the confidentiality, integrity, availability, reliability and resilience of the NAMFREL-APC election technology environment and help keep the platforms used for election analytics and monitoring protected and dependable.

The 2026 BARMM Parliamentary Election marked APC’s second election analytics engagement with NAMFREL and Geodata Systems following its participation in the 2025 midterm elections.

APC President Dr. Ma. Teresita P. Medado said the initiative showed how students applied technology to real-world societal challenges.

“The APC Data Analytics Center reflects APC’s vision of education with purpose. Our students are applying AI to real societal challenges, demonstrating that technology is most powerful when used in service of truth, transparency, and nation-building,” Medado said.

“At APC, students are not just learning AI. They are using it to strengthen democracy, empower communities, and shape the future of the Philippines.”