Caluya: The 40 automated counting machines (ACMs) for the island municipality of Caluya were delivered Sunday, ahead of the 17 other local government units in Antique. Commission on Elections-Western Visayas Acting Assistant Director and concurrent Antique provincial election supervisor Wil Arce±o stated that the ACMs were deployed to Caluya first due to its location. The delivery also included 34 batteries.

According to Philippines News Agency, the coastal municipality of Caluya is situated in the northernmost part of Antique, approximately 158 kilometers or two hours away from the capital city. Arce±o clarified that out of the total 40 ACMs, five are designated as contingency machines.

The remaining 17 municipalities in the province are scheduled to receive their ACMs and contingency machines on April 30, with the delivery coming from a warehouse in Aklan. A total of 730 ACMs, with one allocated per clustered precinct, are set to be delivered across the 17 municipalities of Antique.

All ACMs will undergo testing to ensure proper functionality and will be sealed on May 7 as part of the preparations for the May 12 elections. Arce±o mentioned that official ballots are expected to arrive anytime this week. ‘We are almost ready already for the elections,’ Arce±o said.