ILOILO City – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will conduct a simultaneous region-wide final testing and sealing (FTS) of all Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) across Western Visayas today, May 7, to ensure their readiness, functionality, and accuracy ahead of the May 12 midterm elections.
Regional director Atty. Dennis Ausan said the FTS will take place in all city and municipal election offices in the region, in line with the schedule set by the Comelec Central Office.
The only exception is Festive Walk Mall in Iloilo City, one of four designated mall voting venues nationwide, which already held its FTS on May 5.
“The final testing and sealing will ensure uniformity and preparedness for the upcoming elections,” Ausan said in an interview.
During the FTS, 10 individuals will be randomly selected to cast test ballots. The vote-counting results will then be manually verified to check the machines’ accuracy. However, no transmission of results will occur during this procedure.
Comelec is encouraging candidates, political parties, party-lists, coalitions, and accredited election watchdogs to observe the process to promote transparency.
Ausan explained that technical support personnel will be on standby during the FTS to troubleshoot any malfunctioning ACMs, such as those failing to read ballots, reject ballots, or display results on their monitors. Once repaired, the machines will be sealed in full view of all stakeholders to ensure integrity and detect any tampering.
All sealed and functional ACMs will be stored in local election office warehouses. For far-flung or mountainous areas, delivery of machines and election paraphernalia will be done in advance, while accessible areas will receive theirs on election day, May 12, or a day before.
Media coverage is allowed during the FTS and on election day, but Ausan reminded journalists to avoid taking close-up photos or videos of ballots and vote summaries displayed on the ACM monitors to protect ballot secrecy.
“You may record the general situation during the FTS, but please do not take pictures or videos of completed ballots or the machine monitor that shows votes. Let us respect the sanctity of the vote,” Ausan emphasized.
Western Visayas has 3,128,562 registered voters across five provinces: Iloilo (1,649,730), Capiz (539,553), Aklan (414,890), Antique (399,553), and Guimaras (124,930). The region also covers 3,389 barangays, 20,077 precincts, and 2,854 voting centers./PN
