One machine spat out the first ballots while a technical glitch in another machine delayed the initialization. Other than those glitches, the Commission on Elections considered the mock polls held last Saturday a success.
Those glitches, multiplied in other parts of the country, however, can spell trouble. The mock elections involved 1,639 registered voters from 11 polling centers. The voters included 800 from the University of the Philippines Integrated School in Diliman and 700 from the P. Bernardo High School in Barangay Kaunlaran. Both schools are in Quezon City.
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes attributed the glitches to the fact that the precinct count optical scan or PCOS machines have lain idle since being used for the general elections in 2010. He said the problems were minor and expressed confidence that these could be corrected in time for the midterm elections in May.
Mock exercises are conducted precisely to ferret out glitches and address them before the actual event. The Comelec should conduct more exercises before the elections to ensure that all possible problems can be identified and corrected. Comelec personnel will have to be briefed on what to watch out for and how to respond quickly to glitches.
Comelec officials have pointed out that there are 81,000 PCOS machines for 76,000 polling centers – enough spare units in case of breakdowns. The poll body must also ensure that the logistics are in place to transport the machines ASAP to problem areas, with the integrity of the equipment guaranteed in transit.
As in previous elections, Filipinos are hoping that the one in May will be honest and orderly. Much will depend on the performance of the voting machines. The Comelec has started identifying possible glitches; there should be no excuse for failure to address the problems promptly if these crop up again on election day.