(INQUIRER file photo / ARNOLD ALMACEN)
MANILA, Philippines — Voting will continue even as some areas encounter issues with their vote-counting machines (VCM), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) assured Monday.
Comelec acting spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said it is “all systems go” for the 2022 national elections as he assured that all registered voters who will go to their precincts will be able to vote.
“Sa part ng Comelec, it’s all systems go. Ina-assure namin kayo na kapag kayo ay pumunta sa mga polling centers, kayo ay makakaboto,” Laudiangco said in a press briefing.
For instance, Laudiangco reported that a VCM hung in Cotabato City even as it underwent final testing and sealing. The situation is being investigated and addressed by Comelec’s technical team, Laudiangco said.
“Tuloy ang botohan. Yan ang sinasabi namin. Pabobotohin ang mga tao. Ina-address ang VCM at ihahabol dito sa presinto na to,” Laudiangco said.
“Unfortunately, yung mga unang botante, hindi ma-experience yung pag-feed ng balota at pagtanggap ng voter receipt. But nonetheless, in a-assure namin kayo, tuloy-tuloy ang botohan,” he added.
Laudiangco said as of night of May 8, one town in Oriental Mindoro and another in Northern Samar have not finished their VCM final testing and sealing due to lack of test ballots. However, teachers were allowed to use three official ballots to proceed with the final test.
BARMM issues
Further, Laudiangco said Comelec is still waiting reports from 47 clustered precincts in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on their VCM final testing and sealing.
Asked for the reason for the delay of the VCM final testing and sealing in BARMM, Laudiangco said some members of the electoral board have refused to serve due to confusion and fear for their safety.
“It’s on the electoral boards dahil nagpahayag yung mga electoral boards natin na ilan na hindi sila magse-serve. Sabi ko nga, in all situations may contingency ang Comelec,” Laudiangco said.
“We have trained a sufficient number of PNP (Philippine National Police) personnel to serve as special electoral boards in the city of Cotabato,” he added.