Comelec allays manual voting fears amid Mindanao tower bombings

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday allayed fears that it would resort to manual voting as the spate of bombings of transmission towers in Mindanao continued.

At a press conference, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said returning to manual voting was the least of their concerns as the vote-counting machines were equipped with batteries which could last up to 15 hours.

“At this point, the situation doesn’t really make us worry, specifically on the return to manual (elections) because the machines are equipped with batteries. Yung usapin ng manual, hindi pa pumapasok sa equation. Kasi yung epekto ng kawalan ng kuryente is not so much on the process itself but on the security of those around them,” Jimenez told reporters.

However, the poll body does not downplay the effects of the bombings to the security of the voters and election officers.

Jimenez said the Comelec was reaching out to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) to assess the situation and its implications on the conduct of the national and local elections on May 9.

“The bombings have given cause for concern to the Comelec, particularly in the situation on that part in the Philippines. So, the Comelec is currently reaching out with the NGCP to discuss the matter with them. We are concerned with the availability of power supply in the elections,” the Comelec official said.

Jimenez also assured that the Comelec would be providing generators to ensure the transmission of votes.

“Our concern is for the electoral process, safety of our voters, our election officers and the security of our elections,” he said.

The Comelec would also take a proactive stance on the issue, Jimenez said, as its gun ban committee was considering the expansion of its scope to include election security.

An NGCP tower located at Barangay Pantar, Dimayon Bubong town, in Lanao del Sur province was bombed Monday morning, making it the second tower to be bombed this year. RC