Machine glitches mar May 13 polls
Midterm elections generally peaceful, Comelec says
Various cases of malfunctioning vote-counting machines (VCMs) and Voter Registration Verification Machines (VRVM) around the country marred the May 13 midterm elections, causing much delay in the voting process and may eventually disenfranchise some voters.
Despite these glitches and pockets of violence, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said that
the conduct to the midterm elections on Monday was generally peaceful.
“We think it’s generally successful,” Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez said in a press briefing Monday at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
Jimenez said although this election might be a little “problematic” because of the issues that were encountered, like the VCM glitches, what is important is the Comelec is addressing and resolving all the issues.
One of the early victims of the malfunctioning VCMs was former Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, who is running for congressman in the First District of Makati. His ballot was rejected eight times by the VCM at his polling precinct at the San Antonio National High School in Makati.
He said the problem with the malfunctioning machines is that a lot of votes might not be counted.
“Sinabi ko nga, base sa kasaysayan, nangyari na ito (I’ve already said, based on history, this happened before). This is another way of reducing the voters,” he told reporters.
“If you multiply yung nangyari sa akin at saka lahat nung kasama ko [sa polling precinct], maraming mawawalan ng boto. Naka-boto, pero hindi nabilang (If you multiply my case and those of other voters in my precinct, a lot of votes will be lost. They were able to cast their votes, but these may not be counted).”
Determined to have his votes counted, Binay personally reported the incident to Comelec officials at the PICC, which serves as the headquarters of the National Board of Canvassers.
The Comelec decided to replace the VCM after noting that the machine was the cause of the problem, while Binay was given a new ballot to fill out.
Other high-profile victims of the VCM glitches were re-electionist Sen. Grace Poe, Manila mayoral candidate Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, Pasig mayoral candidate Vico Sotto.
A VCM glitch at the Sta. Lucia Elementary School in San Juan prevented Poe from immediately casting her vote.
Janet Cabelin, chair of Board of Elections Inspectors (BEIs) in the Cluster 81 of the Sta. Lucia Elementary School, said the glitch started at 9:23 a.m. She added that some VCM also encountered paper jams.
Poe and other voters finally cast their votes when the VCM was replaced. In Manila, malfunctioning VCMs at Precinct 0257A, 0258A-B-C delayed the voting of Moreno and other voters. He fed his ballot twice to the VCM.
In Pasig, Sotto had to return home after the VCM in his precinct at the Valle Verde Covered Court malfunctioned. He was able to cast his vote after the VCM was replaced.
Sotto also reported that at least 35 other VCMs in the city also malfunctioned.
A similar VCM glitch was reported at Cluster Precinct 396 at the Eusebio High School in Rosario, Pasig City. Members of the BEI said a defective SD card caused the malfunction.
Elsewhere in the country, some precincts in Cebu resorted to manual voting due to VCM glitches and paper jams, while at least 110 VCMs in Davao malfunctioned.
In Moises Padilla town in Negros Occidental, VRVM failed to work prompting the manual recording of voters.
In Bulacan, at least six VCMs malfunction in Barangays San Pedro, Tampok, Santa Monica, San Sebastian, San Pascual, and San Pablo, all in Hagonoy town.
Even the replacements failed to work, Flordeliza Manlapaz, wife of Hagonoy, Bulacan Mayor Raulito T. Manlapaz Sr., told ABS-CBN.
“Ang problema, ang ipapalit eh ayaw ring mag-function (The problem is the replacement do ot also function),” she said.
VCM glitches were also reported at the Loma de Gato Elementary School in Marilao, Bulacan.
At the Central Azucacera de Tarlac in Tarlac, BEI members had to use an electric fan to prevent an overheating VCM to malfunction. But voting was still delayed due to paper jam.
In Bacolod, voting was delayed due glitches in VCMs and VRVM.
Alarming development
With the glitches, re-electionist Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay expressed her disappointment at the Comelec as she expressed concern over reports of a huge number of VCMs reportedly malfunctioning on Election Day.
Binay said she cannot accept such reports considering that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) had earlier assured that the VCMs were thoroughly tested.
“Nakakabahala na ang nagiging problema sa VCMs and overall process ng pagboto. Hindi ito katanggap-tanggap considering na ilang beses ito tinest ng DOST (The problem over these VCMs and the overall voting process is now a big concern. This is unacceptable considering the DOST has tested these a number of times),” Binay said in a statement.
“The Comelec assured us that everything is in order and all the VCMs are in working condition,” she added.
Binay lamented that one of the reasons the country shifted to automated elections from manual counting is to ensure an efficient voting system and to ensure minimal inconvenience to the voters.
But she said various reports are already pointing to various cases of delayed voting, with voters waiting in line for hours.
“Waiting in line for four hours is too much,” she pointed out.
“I call on the Comelec en banc to start investigating ngayon pa lang kung bakit ang daming kaso ng aberya. Ang nangyayaring ito is totally unacceptable (as soon as now why there are so many glitches),” she said.
“Huwag na po sanang hintayin ng Comelec magsara ang botohan mamayang 6 p.m. para solusyunan ang problema (I hope the Comelec won’t wait until the 6 p.m. closing to find a solution to the problem),” Binay stressed.
Pockets of violence
Aside from the technical glitches, pockets of violence also marred the midterm elections.
Twin explosion rocked Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao on Election Day.
The first blast occurred at 1 a.m. Monday, and then a second explosion took place about six hours later.
Reports said the second explosion happened around 7:20 a.m., some 500 meters away from a polling precinct in Poblacion Dalican.
No one was hurt or killed in the incident.
In Sulu, at least five persons were wounded when supporters of rival candidates clashed in Panglima Estino town on Monday.
Police Gen. Oscar Albayalde, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the victims were wounded in a gun attack that occurred at around 6:30 a.m. Monday outside a voting precinct in Barangay Tiptipon.
He identified the victims as Asiri Sadjaani, 65; Ibno Sahipa, 64; Barre Abih, 46; Omal Hasan, 57; and, Nadzra Munib, 41.
“Two vehicles were also burned,” said Albayalde.
Policemen and soldiers were immediately deployed to contain the situation.
Stray ballots
Meanwhile, 333 ballots wrongly delivered to several precincts in Iloilo province.
Lawyer Roberto Salazar, ComelecIloilo provincial director, told Manila Bulletin the wrong delivery of ballots occurred in the towns of Anilao and Badiangan.
Salazar said it was only when the BEI opened the ballots Monday morning for verification that the mistake was discovered. Under Comelec procedure, ballots may only be inspected when polling precincts also opens.
In the case of a precinct in Anilao town, there were 220 ballots intended for voters in San Enrique town of Negros Occidental province.
In the case of Badiangan town, there were 113 ballots intended for voters in southern Iloilo town of Miag-ao.
“Because of this, we had to transfer the ballots to the proper precincts,” Salazar said.
Vote-buying cases
As this developed, thousands of voters in Los Baños, Laguna, expressed disgust over the massive and brazen buying of votes by some local candidates four days before the elections.
Coordinators, mostly former and present barangay officials of gubernatorial, congressional, and mayoral bets distributed various sums ranging from 1500 to 11,500 to voters that formed long lines to accept the pay off.
The money was placed inside small brown envelopes which had the names of the voters and the number of the polling precincts where they are registered.
Others who were not on the list received their payment after showing their voters' identification cards.
Sources witnessed adults queuing along the narrow Labay Road in Barangay Timugan receiving 1500 each from representatives of a congressional candidate.
The distribution started at around 9 p.m. of May 11 until 4 a.m. the following day.
The candidate’s opponents also did the same at the nearby Girls Scout Building a day earlier and tripled the amount to 11,500. (With reports from Erma Edera, Hannah L. Torregoza, Francis T. Wakefield, Betheena Unite, Tara Yap, and Jun Ramirez)