VCMs malfunction one by one starting at midday

By LITO RULONA
and NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents

 MASSIVE vote buying wasn’t the only thing that marred the elections in the city yesterday. Some 20 vote-counting machines in various polling precincts across the city reportedly malfunctioned.

“We had contingency units prepared in our offices,” said acting city elections officer Joel Dexter Nagtalon.

He said the VCMs started malfunctioning at midday due to overheating.

But Nagtalon said despite the technical glitches, there was a high voter turnout.

He said there were also reports about voters complaining that their names were not in the voters’ lists. “When we checked our main list, they were allowed to vote later on.”

The same technical problems were also experienced in some areas of the province, said board of canvasser chairman for Misamis Oriental Joseph Hamilton Cuevas.

“We expected the overheating of VCMs due to extreme heat. But we had contingency VCMs prepared in every municipality,” Cuevas said.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible  Voting (PPCRV) expressed dismay over the technical glitches.

Fr. Saturnino  Lumba, PPCRV chairman here, said the problems were reported at polling precincts in Lapasan, the City Central School,  and the Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School (Mogchs).

“Dili mo-andar ug insakto ang pipila ka mga vote-counting machines nga akong nakita. Ang uban, mo-andar man gani pero dili mohatag sa resibo,” Lumba said.

He said he was disappointed because the Comelec assured during a pre-election day meeting that the machines were in good condition. He said he feared the technical problems would have an effect on the election outcome.

Carl Cabaraban, PPCRV coordinator, said they were evaluating many complaints coming from voters that were coming in. After evaluating the complaints, he said, the PPCRV would determine which complaints to investigate.

Cabaraban said Comelec officials would also need to explain why many VCMs malfunctioned.

“Ang PPCRV entitled man sa fourth copy sa election return, so kon na-ay negative result sa among evaluation sa election process, among ipatawag ang mga official sa Comelec ug ang tanang stakeholders   niining atong election,” said Cabaraban.

Meanwhile, of the 1,534 inmates currently languishing in the city jail in Barangay Lumbia, 364 inmates cast their ballots.

Jail Insp. Mea Todyog, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology 10 chief for administration, said a Supreme Court ruling released recently allowed the inmates to vote but only for national candidates.

“Tanan inmates all over the country can vote pero dili sila makabotar sa lokal nga mga kadidato,” Todyog said.

Board of inspectors conducted the polls inside the city jail here at 9 am under the BJMP officers’ watch.

Of the 364 votes cast, 308 votes were from male inmates while 56 votes were from female inmates. (with reports from cong b. corrales)