MANILA -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has announced that it will be conducting a field test in 10 polling precincts around the country to simulate the conditions on May 10, election day.

These 10 precincts are located in five areas namely Pateros and Taguig City in the National Capital Region; Bakun, Benguet in Luzon; Naga City, Cebu in Visayas; and Lake Sebu, South Cotabato in Mindanao.

"The purpose of this field test is to test the machines and the canvassing system... (A) field test is where we replicate the end-to-end testing of the system and we will have testing done in certain areas of the country," Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal explained.

The Comelec official said that Taguig City and Pateros were chosen because of the complicated system of canvassing. The three other areas, meanwhile, were chosen to show that the systems should work not only in urban centers but in rural areas as well.

The field test will start on January 27 after the lab test to be conducted in the warehouse in Cabuyao, Laguna. Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)