Review poll glitches, joint congressional panel urged

PARTY-LIST lawmaker urged Monday the Congressional Oversight Committee on the Automated Election System (COCAES) to review the glitches encountered during the mock elections conducted by the poll body over the weekend.

"The mock results showed one thing—the problems that beset the PCOS machines in the 2010 elections are the same problems that we will encounter in 2013 except that its worse. It was a failure and not a success," Bayan Muna party-list Representative Neri Colmenares said in a press statement.

In at least one voting center, the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine had to be replaced after it rejected several test ballots.

Comelec also reported delayed transmission of election results citing poor signal in areas where the mock elections were held.

"The COCAES should immediately investigate this considering that there will already be long queues in the precinct since Comelec has increased the voters for each clustered precinct to 1,000 voters. Difficulty in inserting the ballots will result in overcrowding and delay. Delay is an invitation to fraud," Colmenares noted.

The Bayan Muna party-list lawmaker said the COCAES should continue to convene during the election period even if Congress will go into recess this week.

United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial candidate and Zambales Representative Mitos Magsaysay, for her part, said the Comelec must investigate the cause of poor signals.

Magsaysay added that the poll body should ensure that election officers are oriented on the standard procedures should technical difficulties arise during the actual polls.

"We at the UNA stand by our plea for decent and honest elections, from the campaign up to the actual conduct of the polls. The Comelec should not dismiss issues like this as trivial there are only several months left before the actual vote," she said in a press statement. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)