Poll data, servers safe after Comelec fire

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections yesterday assured the public that the results of the last elections and the list of registered voters remain intact after the Comelec central office in Intramuros, Manila caught fire on Sunday night.

Comelec servers were spared during the blaze that struck the poll body’s information technology (IT) department, according to Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco.

“There’s no need to worry. The results of the elections are safe. Hanggang ngayon ay active and live sa website ang resulta ng halalan,” Laudiangco said.

He said the vaults containing the backup of the election results and voter registration records are secured following the fire.

The fire razed the reception area of the Comelec’s IT department on the seventh floor of the centuries-old Palacio del Gobernador building, Laudiangco said.

He said the fire would not affect the poll body’s preparations for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections set on Dec. 5.

“There was only minimal damage. Not even a single document related to the elections was destroyed,” Laudiangco said.

The Election Barangay Affairs Department is also located on the seventh floor of the building.

“The fire was limited to the IT department. The blaze destroyed a desktop computer that contained administrative files, a printer, tables and chairs,” Laudiangco said.

There were five IT personnel on duty when the fire broke out.

Laudiangco said there were no signs of foul play, based on the initial report they received from arson probers.

Comelec employees holding office at the Palacio del Gobernador building worked from home yesterday.

Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) raised the first alarm at around 6:53 p.m. and elevated it to second alarm at 7:02 p.m. Eight fire trucks responded to the scene.

The BFP’s fire station in Intramuros is located just across the street.

Firefighters declared the fire out after more than one hour.

Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism said the Intramuros Administration (IA) would implement a skeletal workforce after the fire struck the Palacio del Gobernador building.

While the IA office is located on the fifth floor of the building, the tourism department said the measure aims to ensure the safety of employees and visitors. – Evelyn Macairan, Ralph Edwin Villanueva