Melo airs concern on delivery, configuration of poll machines

Although the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the preparations for the 2010 elections are going smoothly, the poll body's chief admitted Monday that he can’t help but worry that the delivery and configuration of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines might delay it. "I want to be sure that the machines will come on time. Until I see it, I’m worried," Comelec chair Jose Melo told reporters in an interview. The Comelec said that 42,200 PCOS machines are set to arrive in December while another 40,000 will be delivered in January. But Melo was quick to add that the delivery of the poll machines will not be the only possible cause of delay. Earlier, the Comelec said that the PCOS machines will only have a base configuration when they arrive in the country. It said that they will still have to undergo a battery of tests before being configured for a specific precinct. "We’re still not out of the woods. If we haven’t tested all the machines, what do we do?" he said, adding that if worse comes to worst, they would have to conduct a partial manual and partial automated elections. Still, Melo said they do not wish to alarm the public. He said that there are just deadlines that are "out of (their) control." "The devil is in the details," Melo said. Contract holder Smartmatic-TIM (Total Information Management) consortium, however, said that the poll body chief "has nothing to worry about." "Smartmatic’s extensive experience in automated poll projects has always ended up successfully," Smartmatic-TIM spokesperson Gene Gregorio told GMANews.TV in a text message on Monday. Earlier, the poll body also said that it is sending a two-man team to Shanghai inspect the manufacturing of PCOS machines there. It said the team will evaluate the state of readiness, production schedules, and the possibility of making the scheduled delivery dates on time. - GMANews.TV