Comelec defends accuracy of ACMs

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday defended the accuracy of its automated counting machines following reports of a glitch during the final testing and sealing of ACMs in Davao City.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the ACM read the votes correctly, contrary to allegations of the Archdiocesan Commission on Elections Monitoring Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (ACE-COM PPCRV).

Aileen Lizada, spokesperson for the ACE-COM PPCRV, said that during the final testing and sealing process at the Davao City National High School on Tuesday, she deliberately picked 13 candidates instead of 12.

Lizada said the ACM read her votes and recorded 12.

Garcia said Lizada’s action actually highlighted not only the testing process, but also the ACM’s accuracy.

The machine, he said, counted even the small dot because the shading threshold has been lowered to 15 percent.

In the same forum, Garcia attributed the recent rise in vote buying and disqualification cases to the fact that the results of ACMs cannot be tampered with.

He said the scheduled final testing and sealing process in Sibugay, Zamboanga was suspended due to clashes between the military and rebels.

Garcia said there would be no postponement of elections in Bangued, Abra even as a fire destroyed the Dangdala Elementary School, which is supposed to be used as a polling center on May 12.

Although a fire incident may be a ground for poll postponement, Garcia said the Comelec believes that the elections should push through “at all costs.”