Poll machine tests extended until a day before elections

(Updated 4:46 p.m.) The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has extended its timetable for sealing and testing automated voting machines until May 9, Sunday, just one day before the elections. Besides extending field tests for precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, resolution 8865 — issued by the Comelec en banc — also nullified a previous resolution 8758. The earlier resolution says that the testing and sealing of the PCOS machines should be conducted three to seven days before election day, ensuring that the equipment is in good working order. The Board of Election Inspectors — composed mostly of teachers — are expected to test 10 pre-shaded ballots and see whether the PCOS unit will be able to read the votes. Comelec Resolution 8865 said that that extension was made due to the failure of some PCOS machines to read some votes accurately last Monday, forcing the Comelec to pull out and replace all the compact flash (CF) cards in the voting machines. "There is a need to suspend the conduct of final testing and sealing in all areas until such time as the configuration for local positions have been corrected," it said. CF cards dispatch In the meantime, Poll machine supplier Smartmatic Asia president Cesar Flores said that the new CF cards are being configured at their warehouse in Cabuyao, Laguna. He said that the company flew in CF cards from Taiwan and Hong Kong. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that the poll body has already dispatched 50,153 (66 percent) reconfigured CF cards, of which 3,139 are supposedly already in the provinces. He also noted that 61,191 flash cards have actually been configured, which is 80 percent of the CF cards needed. He said that configuration of other CF cards are ongoing. "Hopefully these CF cards will arrive much earlier than expected," said Jimenez at a press briefing on Friday. A total of 82,200 PCOS units will be deployed in next week's polls, of which only 76,340 units will be used while the others will serve as spares. On Thursday, Comelec chairman Jose Melo said that the counting and transmission of votes in about five percent of the areas in the country may be delayed because of the possible late delivery of the CF cards. All set for Monday's polls? The Comelec is 98 percent ready for the polls with all the PCOS machines in the hubs and the ballots already in the municipalities, Jimenez said. Smartmatic spokesman Gene Gregorio said in a text message that 60 percent of the voting machines are already in their respective precincts and will reach 85 percent by the end of the day. The Comelec hired three forwarders — Germalin Enterprises, Ace Logistics, and Argo Forwarders — to transport the poll machines. These forwarders will be held liable if the machines do not reach their locations on time. On the other hand, Smartmatic with Air 21 bagged the contract to deliver the ballots and CF cards, the tracking of which can be viewed here. He likewise reiterated that they do not need to print additional materials for manual counting. "We do not see that there will be a need to revert to the maual count beyond the contigency that we will do," he said. The poll body had earlier announced that it has printed 30 percent of the materials needed for manual canvassing nationwide. He said that these forms are part of the contingency plan and will be "strategically" distributed. — RJAB Jr.,/RSJ, GMANews.TV