By JETTY AYOP-OHAYLAN AND MARIETTA BASTE-HERNANI / Davao Today
In Marahan Central Elementary School in the city’s third district, the voting pace was slow, and even those who went before the poll centers opened waited for five hours for their turn to vote. The school had two precincts with 1,000 total voters. By noon, only 30 percent of the total number has cast their votes.
By CHERYLL D. FIEL / Davao Today
It was not the machine glitches that many people were worried about but the poll clerk’s hunt for names of registered voters and other verification procedures that slowed down the voting process in the recently-concluded elections.
MANILA -- The transmission of election results did well in Quezon City High School in Kamuning, Quezon City. The transmission of results only took one to two minutes per transaction. The Board of Elections Inspectors told Bulatlat on Monday night that there were no major problems encountered with the Precinct Count Optical Scan machine, unlike in other areas.
MAGUINDANAO -- Residents push their way inside a polling precinct in Buldon town. Hundreds of voters are getting impatient -- shouting, shoving, banging the doors of the precinct, demanding that they be allowed in. An army soldier tries to break a scuffle while poll watchers and the BEIs insist that voting should be one at a time. This year's elections, will serve as a test to Philippines’ fragile democracy. Once an inspiration to emerging democracies for its “people power” overthrow of the American-backed autocrat Ferdinand E. Marcos, the Philippines has suffered from poor governance in the past decade.
By MARYA SALAMAT
The snail's pace in the voting process would create more problems than just the long lines voters have to endure.
The final testing and sealing (FTS) in Marikina City was held on May 6, earlier than the announced May 7 testing. Board of Election inspectors and watchers are waiting as early as 10am but machine arrived after lunch. No ballot boxes were delivered.
In the final testing and sealing in Palatiw Elementary School in Pasig City on May 8, the common problem was the startup of the PCOS machine. The machine in Precinct 107 displayed the COMELEC logo for a long time. The machine had to be turned on and off. Many other machines unexpectedly shut down.
Automation and computerization are supposed to make life easier. It is supposed to speed up processes by minimizing human intervention. After all, machines are more efficient, more precise, and do not tire easily compared to humans. However, this is not the case with the first Philippine Automated Election System.
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