Final testing of vote counting machines starts

MANILA, Philippines - The final testing and sealing of the more than 92,500 vote counting machines (VCMs) nationwide started yesterday, the Commission on Elections reported yesterday.

According to Comelec director for National Capital Region Temie Lambino, the Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) is vital to the coming polls because it allows them to check if all the VCMs are counting right and working. 

“The purpose of the FTS is provided under the law and that is mandatory for automated elections. Second is to find out the accuracy of all the VCMs and if ever there are malfunctioning VCMs, we can replace them immediately, or any part of the VCM,” he noted at the Araullo High School in Manila where he personally observed the FTS a week before the May 9 vote.

The FTS runs from May 2 to 6.  

Lambino explained the VCMs that have passed the final testing would be sealed and kept at the Comelec’s regional hubs nationwide.  

The machines will be opened only on election day.

As a procedure, the teachers comprising the Board of Elections Inspectors (BEI) have opened the boxes containing the VCMs and checked if they contain all of the election paraphernalia, including three iButton, SIM card, SD woorm 4gb memory cards, USB 3g modem, 10 FTS ballots, adaptor, market pens, battery cable, marker pens and thermal paper. 

Each machine will be checked if they are working and then 10 test ballots will be filled up and fed into the machine to determine if it counts the votes accurately.

At the polling precinct for Barangay 663 at the Araullo High School, the BEIs found that the box did not contain the adaptor but a spare adaptor was available and was used.

One test ballot was rejected thrice by the VCM but it turned out that the machine was not attached correctly to the ballot box. A Smartmatic technician had demonstrated how to install the VCM to the BEI.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista gave assurance that there are 5,000 spare VCMs in seven hubs that could easily be used to replace malfunctioning units.  – With Evelyn Macairan