Philippine Councilors League declares failure of elections

MANILA, Philippines — The national board of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) has declared a failure of elections for the polls that was supposed to install the incoming set of its national officers following several glitches.

In a statement on Friday, Jonathan Malaya, Interior Undersecretary for Plans, Public Affairs, and Communications, said the election started on time on Thursday and followed protocols but was marred by delays due to the failure of the contracted systems provider to deliver a fully-functioning automated election system.

“Given the numerous technical issues that could not be immediately resolved, the Comelec (Commission on Elections) submitted its report to the PCL National Board who thereafter declared a failure of election,” he said.

Malaya explained dry-runs were conducted to ensure the efficiency of the election at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City but noted that “subsequent concerns persisted.”

These concerns, said the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) official, are vote duplication of certain registered voters and issues on the connectivity of majority of voting terminals.

He said there were also concerns on the provided voting terminals limiting the access of persons with disabilities and persons of poor eyesight.

In a separate statement, the PCL said the National Board passed a resolution to conduct an immediate investigation on the failure of the automated system and to report its recommendations within 15 days from Thursday. An ad hoc committee was also formed to coordinate with the DILG to set the new date for the election within 60 days.

The DILG, through the Bureau of Local Government Supervision, serves as a member of the Comelec for the PCL national polls.

“As a non-partisan government agency, we help PCL ensure the integrity of the election process,” said Malaya.