DESPITE numerous glitches in its vote counting machines (VCMs) and alleged irregularities during Election Day, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said this year’s polls were clean and successful.
Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said the election results could not be doubted, even though at least 1,800 vote-counting machines malfunctioned.
“While there were reports of VCMs malfunctioning and missing voters’ names, these minor issues were immediately attended to,” he said — even though voters reported waiting for hours, some into the early hours of the next day, for the machines in their voting centers to be repaired.
“The vote count is accurate and cannot be doubted. Namfrel (National Citizens Movement for Free Elections) will also release the results per precinct based on the transmitted results. You should double check whether or not the election results you see in precincts and in your transparency server were the same,” Garcia added.
He said the gap between presidential contenders Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President Leni Robredo on Comelec’s transparency server results were still “partial and unofficial.”
“We respect those kinds of reaction and comments but remember that the Comelec cannot release for now any official result or tally,” he said.
Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Marlon Caquejo said the allegations of cheating will be “hard to prove” with a 47-percent ratio claim between votes for the top two presidential bets.
“It will be difficult to prove that there was cheating with regards to that percentage. First, our system went through thorough assessment and certification. So, we have a local source code review, how can you insert such a percentage to favor a candidate?” Casquejo said.
However, the Comelec said it will still conduct a probe on the reported claims of cheating, saying “we will check.”
Meanwhile, the poll body thanked the international observers for acknowledging the recently concluded national and local elections.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price described the casting and counting of votes in the Philippines “to have been conducted in line with international standards and without significant incident.”
In other developments:
* The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting said Wednesday it has so far received 18,756 or 17.40 percent of physical election returns, which will be used to verify the results of the national polls.
* The Comelec on Wednesday reported that 88 percent out of 84,358 individuals who participated in the local absentee voting (LAV) in this year’s national and local elections is, so far, the highest recorded turnout of voters.
* Some 550,000 overseas Filipino voters cast their ballot for the May 9 elections, a record high in recent years, a Department of Foreign Affairs official said Wednesday.
* Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday ordered the Philippine National Police to beef up security in all canvassing areas and continue to exercise maximum tolerance on poll protest rallies.
* The PNP has successfully contained the usual outbreak of violence in Mindanao during the May 9 elections. PNP directorate chief for operations, Maj. Gen. Valeriano De Leon, attributed this to early security preparations and real-time adjustments on the ground.
* The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday urged local government units (LGUs) and candidates in the May 9 elections to dispose of any campaign waste materials in their areas within three days.