Baguio: The Commission on Election (Comelec) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) announced on Monday that the deployment of automated counting machines (ACMs) and election paraphernalia to various precincts in the region is slated to commence on May 8. “We have been ordered to finish with the final testing and sealing (FTS) by May 7 so that we can already start to bring the election materials to the polling centers,” stated lawyer Julius Torres, regional director of Comelec-CAR, during a media interview.
According to Philippines News Agency, the FTS of the ACMs in all provincial election offices is scheduled for May 6 and 7. Torres emphasized the importance of completing the FTS early to identify and rectify any malfunctioning machines promptly. He also noted the logistical challenges posed by certain areas in the region, which require a day of trekking to deliver the ACMs and election paraphernalia to the polling centers.
Torres assured the preparedness of teachers assigned to perform election duties on May 12. “We hope that there will be no teacher who will back out of the electoral board function before the election day, but in case somebody does, we have 1,972 police officers trained to do the job of the electoral board,” he explained.
In terms of peace and order, more than 200 police personnel were deployed to Abra last Friday, with an additional 20 on Monday to maintain stability in the province. “Abra is the only province where we are facing challenges, but our law enforcers are doing their best to properly manage the situation on the ground,” Torres mentioned, highlighting the ongoing efforts to ensure readiness.
Despite reports from the police that only six out of 28 shooting incidents in Abra are election-related, the authorities are closely monitoring the situation to prevent any impact on the electoral process. “We want to make sure that the people will go out on election day to cast their votes without fear [of] intimidation or any issues that will affect the result of the election,” Torres emphasized.
In Kalinga, local police have assured ongoing dialogues between warring tribes involved in a recent shooting incident. “We wanted to make sure that the voters will not have the fear to go out of their houses to vote because of the ongoing tribal war,” Torres added. Additionally, personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines will be deployed to the province to assist in maintaining peace and order on May 12.
