The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday the automated counting machines (ACMs) that will be used in the May 12 elections in Negros Oriental and Siquijor are set to arrive in Dumaguete City on Maundy Thursday, April 17.

The first batch of ACMs for Negros Oriental will arrive in four container vans aboard a sea vessel from Manila a day later than the original schedule, Comelec-Negros Island Region director Lionel Marco Castillano told the Philippine News Agency.

The number of ACM units will be determined upon arrival and inventory, he said.

“These ACMs will be kept at a designated hub after inventory until they are ready for delivery to the different towns and cities in Negros Oriental for the final testing and sealing [FTS] at least one week before the elections,” Castillano said.

He said the FTS will determine if the machines are working or if replacement or repair will be necessary.

Negros Oriental requires a total of 1,289 ACMs, equivalent to one unit per clustered precinct.

Meanwhile, the delivery of ACMs to nearby Siquijor province will also be coursed through Dumaguete.

Siquijor has a total of 149 clustered precincts and needs the same number of ACMs. (PNA)