By JEN BAYLON
More than 2,000 automated counting machines (ACMs) will be distributed to local election offices in Negros Occidental from April 28 to 29, as the province gears up for the midterm elections on May 12.
Provincial election supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said the distribution of the ACMs will coincide with the final testing and sealing at various polling centers on May 7.
To ensure the smooth conduct of the elections, Ananoria said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has also provided 351 contingency machines to serve as backups in case of any malfunction or technical issues with the primary ACMs.
He also confirmed that the official ballots for the midterm polls are expected to arrive in the province between May 1 and 2, depending on shipping schedules.
Meanwhile, absentee voting for 1,880 registered absentee voters will begin on Monday, April 28, and will run until Wednesday, April 30.
“Ari na diri ang mga balota [para sa absentee voting]. That means the election has already begun,” Ananoria said.
With more than two million registered voters in Negros Occidental, the deployment of ACMs is a critical step toward ensuring a credible and efficient election, the Comelec said.
The new ACMs, supplied by South Korean firm Miru Systems, are equipped with a 14-inch touchscreen, sensor, scanner, printer, camera, USB ports, external keypad, and a voter’s receipt receptacle.
These machines are part of the Full Automation System with Transparency and Audit/Count, designed to enhance the transparency and efficiency of the voting process.
Prior to deployment, the machines were demonstrated to voters across the province through roadshows, allowing them to familiarize themselves with the technology and verify that their votes are accurately recorded.
Meanwhile, the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) has declared that all private armed groups previously identified in the province have been dismantled ahead of the election period.
Police Colonel Judesses Catalogo, NOCPPO public information officer, stated that the dismantling was completed last year under a NOCPPO resolution aimed at preventing the use of armed groups by politicians during elections.
Catalogo added that if any armed groups still operate in the province with intentions of disrupting the midterm elections, these will be treated as development cases by the police.
“Kun may yara gid man sang grupo nga naga-operate sa probinsya nga [ginagamit] para sa eleksyon, padayon [ini nga] gina-monitor sang pulis,” he said./JB, WDJ