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Ex-James Bond Brosnan, pop star Celine Dion ‘win’ top posts in ARMM mock polls


MANILA, Philippines - Former James Bond Pierce Brosnan “won" Tuesday as “governor" in the mock elections using automated machines in pilot areas in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, GMA Network’s late night newscast Saksi reported early Wednesday. The Commission on Elections conducted the mock polls using the names of foreign and local celebrities as "candidates" to test the optical media reader (OMR). The new technology would be used in the ARMM balloting on August 11. The OMR system of Avante International requires voters to fill out a paper ballot that would be scanned by a specially designed machine. Another technology that would be tested by Comelec is the Direct Recording Electronic System. The DRE system of Smartmatic-SAHI that would be tested in Maguindanao province will use a touch-screen or a touch-pad technology. It is fully automated from voting to counting and final transmission of the results to canvassing centers from the provincial up to regional levels. In the “election," Canadian pop diva Celine Dion clobbered American rival Mariah Carey to win the vice governor position. The Comelec conducted the mock polls in Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Shariff Kabunsuan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. The Maguindanao mock polls did not push through because provincial personnel were called to meet President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who visited the province Tuesday. The "balloting" was reset on Thursday. In one precinct, 50 voters cast their ballots and the exercise was completed in two hours. The result was counted in 15 to 20 minutes and then sent to the consolidation center of the Comelec headquarters in Manila, where the chairmen of the Senate and House committees on electoral reform observed the canvassing. “Wala nang panahon ngayong mandaya (There’s no more chance now to cheat)," Sen. Richard Gordon said. “Well it’s fast, clean. Of course it’s mock elections but again it’s important to hold this because this is in anticipation of the 2010 elections," Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr. said. - GMANews.TV
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