THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) claimed a successful mock elections in Mabolo, Cebu City and Santander, Cebu last Jan. 19, although public participation wasn’t as expected. This was probably because of the Sinulog festivities, the poll body said.
The Comelec aimed to increase the number of participants in the mock election from 10 in 2016 to 100 this year so it could see the result and adjust whatever hitches. However, participation was less than 50 percent.
Acting Cebu Provincial Election Supervisor Jerome Brillantes said they experienced a small problem of delayed transmittal of the mock election result from the City Board of Canvassers (CBOC) to the Provincial Board of Canvassers (CBOC) because of the network shutdown during the solemn procession.
Brillantes said the Comelec in Manila sent to them the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) in lieu of the mobile phone signal, which was shut off by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) last Jan. 19 upon the recommendation of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in connection with the Sinulog.
“The BGAN, which was loaded into the USB, was inserted into the Vote Counting Machine (VCM) to create a signal and transmit the voting result. It successfully transmitted the results, though slightly delayed. At least we have experienced it (signal shutoff) and will know what to do if it will happen again during the May 2019 elections,” Brillantes said.
Meanwhile, Brillantes said they will review any recommendations of the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on the previous hotspots.
“We are not anymore calling it hotspot but ‘area of concern.’ Among these areas in the past elections are Tuburan, San Fernando and Dumanjug. But maybe the authorities have already controlled and minimized the intense political rivalry there,” Brillantes said.
He believed that Cebu is really peaceful during political season because political opponents in Cebu are only engaging in word war, and war on principles and ideas. (EOB)