Voters patiently line up and wait for their turn at the University of the Philippines – Cebu College in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, amid the sweltering heat of the afternoon sun during the presidential elections on May 9, 2022. (Photo by Connie Fernandez-Brojan, Inquirer Visayas)
MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) is expecting that the transmission of election returns in the 2025 mid-term elections will beat the speed of transmission during the 2022 presidential polls, thanks to poll body’s several proposed innovations.
For the next elections, Comelec chair George Garcia plans various enhancements, such as stamping pens and updated counting machines. However, telecoms firms must improve transmission efficiency.
“Dapat po, kinakailangan mas mabilis, kung hindi matapatan,” Garcia said when asked if they could beat the record transmission speed in May last year.
(It should be, it needs to be faster, if not at par.)
He was speaking at a press briefing at the Comelec headquarters in Manila.
“Kasi nag-improve ka nga sa machine, nag-improve ka nga sa software, tapos hindi mo mai-improve yung sa transmission? Yan ay nakadepende sa mga telcos na magpa-participate sa ating procurement. Ang bilis nga ng machine eh, how much more dapat yung sa transmission?” Garcia asked.
(We have improved the machine, and the software, then you would not improve the transmission? That depends on the telcos that would participate in our procurement. The machine will be faster. How much faster should the transmission be?)
The fastest transmission of the election returns was recorded in the 2022 presidential elections.
Comelec reported around 80 percent of vote-counting machines transmitted election returns five hours after the voting deadline.
The country adopted the automated election system in 2010 or twelve years earlier.
READ: Comelec cites fastest transmission of election returns
Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco attributed this performance to “better transmission facilities, better program, better SD card quality, and better-trained poll workers and technicians.”
READ: Faster transmission of election returns due to better facilities, personnel — Comelec