At least 72 PCOS glitches in Cebu

Glitches in vote counting machines  bedevilled yesterday’s midterm voting in Cebu.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) however said the problems encountered by the Precinct Count Optical Scanner (PCOS) machines were quickly  addressed.

Eddie Aba,  provincial elections supervisor, said the number of PCOS malfunctions is relatively small for Cebu’s 3,169 clustered polling precincts.

In polling centers where  PCOS machines malfunctioned, voters were asked to continue filling up their ballots and were asked to sign waivers allowing the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) to temportarily store  their  filled ballots in the PCOS ballot box. The BEIs, with the poll watchers as witnesses, later fed the ballots into the PCOS machine as soon as the glitches are fixed.

Cebu City election officer Ferdinang Gujilde said 31 of  592 PCOS machines encountered  problems. In Mandaue City, election supervisor Edwin Cadungog reported five of 205 PCOS machines conking out.

In Lapu-Lapu City, 29 of 199 PCOS machines had  problems, said city police chief Rey Lyndon Lawas.

In Toledo City, election supervisor Marchel Sarno said six PCOS machines malfunctioned.

In Pinamungajan town, the PCOS machine in the voting precinct of Liberal Party 3rd district congressional bet Gaye Yapha — precinct 001A, malfunctioned due to defective compact flash (CF) card.

Voting resumed when the back-up CF card arrived and installed on the PCOS machine.

Expected breakdown

In Manila, the Comelec  declared the elections as “generally okay,” except for some 200 counting machines projected to have bogged down.

“In general, the election is okay. But certain reports have been blown out of proportion,” Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes told a briefing at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, where the national canvassing of votes was to be held.

“Let me say this, our prediction is that about 200 PCOS machines all over the country may malfunction. That’s 200 out of 78,000,” he said. In contrast, in 2010, some 400 out of 76,000 PCOS machines had bogged down.

Smartmatic Asia president Cesar Flores said: “What I see right now is consistent with what happened in any other country in the world. I mean you will have machines failing during Election Day,” he told reporters./Jhunnex Napalacan, Doris C. Bongcac, Joy Cherry Quito and Inquirer