MANILA, Philippines — A new vote counting machine (VCM) was delivered to replace a faulty device in a polling precinct at Valle Verde 5 in Pasig City — where mayoral candidate Vico Sotto was supposed to vote.
Election officers unboxed the VCM around 11:00 a.m. on Monday, more than three hours after Pasig residents left their shaded ballots.
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Sotto on the other hand left the polling area. He said he will only go back to vote if the VCM is repaired or a new machine is delivered. Earlier, he encouraged voters not to cast their votes until they are sure that their choices are accounted for.
Faulty VCMs have been also reported in other areas in Metro Manila. In the case of former Vice President Jejomar Binay, his ballot was rejected by a malfunctioning VCM.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Spokesperson has assured that if VCMs have malfunctioned because of technical glitches, replacement machines will be deployed.
“Ang makina ay naghahanap ng mga marks sa balota. Kapag may nakita siyang marks na nakalapat or nakinterfere sa kanyang mga security marks, irereject niya yung balota na ‘yun. That’s the proper process,” he said.
The Comelec said it has more than 85,000 VCMs operating for this elections, while 7,000 were docked on standby for possible problems. (Editor: Mike U. Frialde)