PPCRV: At least 200 VCMs nationwide need replacement

Smartmatic shows the Vote Counting Machine during the Supreme Court oral arguments on the issuance of receipts by the Commission on Elections Vote Counting Machines, in this photo taken in 2016. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RAFFY LERMA

MANILA, Philippines — While there are at least 200 vote-counting machines (VCMs) nationwide that need replacement, poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) said on Monday that this number is not yet alarming.

“As of now, we have received reports that there’s a request for at least 200 replacement VCMs nationwide,” PPCRV spokesman Atty. Van dela Cruz said in a press briefing.

Dr. William Yu from the poll watchdog said that the number of faulty VCMs is still not yet alarming, but clarified that it is still an “evolving situation.”

“Two hundred out of 107,000 VCMs is not yet alarming but of course, let us take note that it is still an evolving situation. The reports are still coming in and we don’t have the final number yet,” Yu said in the same press briefing.

Yu said that the current situation is “a little better” compared to the 2019 elections which had more SD card failures.

He also said that the age of the VCMs, which are currently around six years old, is also considered in determining whether the situation is still manageable.

“Compared to 2019, where we had a lot more failures of different kinds, including SD card failures, it’s still not a very large number and we feel it’s still manageable,” Yu said.

“It is an evolving situation, this is not the final numbers yet, it is still very preliminary but at this point, we feel that this is something that the Commission on Elections can still manage,” he added.

Yu said that the situation may become alarming if there are about 400 to 500 VCMs that are reportedly not functioning, however, the location of the failing VCMs still has to be taken into consideration.

“If there is a grouping of failures like certain machines in certain areas then that can also be alarming so the absolute number, ‘yung 200, hindi necessarily not alarming or alarming because if all 200 are generally in one location, that can also be alarming,” he said.

“We also have to look at where these failures are, but in general, just the absolute number does not seem very large but again until the final results, the final information with the details come out, we can make a more definitive statement,” Yu added.

The PPCRV then called for the public’s vigilance and their prayers for a clean and orderly election.

With the failure of some VCMs, Dela Cruz said that this may make the transmission of results come late, Dela Cruz said.

He, however, said that this “does not really affect” the poll watchdog’s manual validation count.

The PPCRV earlier said they expect an 85-percent voter turnout in the May 9 national and local elections.

PPCRV is a non-partisan and non-profit organization that helps the Commission on Elections (Comelec) attain “clean, honest, accurate, meaningful and peaceful elections.”

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