PPCRV, AMA renew pact to monitor, safeguard PH polls

PPCRV and technology partner AMA ink their partnership for the fifth time to monitor and safeguard the country’s general elections on May 9, 2022. Photo from PPCRV

MANILA, Philippines — The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and AMA Education System were joining forces again to ensure transparency in the country’s election set on May 9.

PPCRV and AMA representatives sealed their fifth partnership on Monday at AMA College Auditorium in Makati City. The two organizations’ collaboration started in 2010 when the country’s elections became automated. Their last cooperation was during the midterm elections in 2019.

Under a memorandum of agreement, the PPCRV should establish a command center in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila while AMA should provide information technology support and equipment, and manpower to the hub.

PPCRV chairperson Myla Villanueva said the command center in UST would conduct a parallel count of the May 9 vote.

“So all of these election returns are brought to our command center, and these are all encoded by about 200 volunteers a day over 10 days,” the head of the election watchdog explained during the briefing that followed the signing of the MOA between PPCRV and AMA.

“What do we do there? What we do with the command center is we match via encoding the results in the election return to that which the VCM (vote-counting machines) transmitted electronically. Since our election returns are picked up before transmission, what we are trying to ensure is that no dagdag-bawas (vote shaving) is happening,” she further explained.

PPCRV is an accredited non-government organization by the Commission on Elections.

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