NEWLY-installed Negros Occidental Elections Director Ian Lee Ananoria said there were some transmission glitches noticed in the operation of vote counting machines (VCMs) during the mock election conducted in Aklan.
“There were glitches especially in the transmission of the results but it was good that the problems were detected this early and not during election day,” he added.
Ananoria was assigned as Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial director of Aklan before he assumed the office vacated by lawyer Jessie Suarez, who will be assigned to Antique effective February 16 as part of the reshuffling of provincial election supervisors nationwide.
Ananoria said that he would focus on transparency and public trust for the coming May 9 elections.
“We want the elections to be perceived as honest,” he said.
Ananoria was assigned as election officer of Bago City for about three years before his appointment to Aklan.
“The re-shuffling of election officers is done every election period and it's our call of duty,” he said.
Ananoria said his first priority would be to concentrate on the training of Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs).
“We need to gain the public trust, ensure transparency, and engage the stakeholders,” he added.
Ananoria said that he would discuss the peace and order situation in Negros Occidental with Suarez.
He also told candidates to follow the campaign rules.
The newly-created Negros Island Region still has no Comelec regional office. Negros Occidental is still part of Comelec's Western Visayas office under recently-appointed Regional Director Rafael Olano, who was formerly with Central Visayas.
Former Comelec-Western Visayas Regional Director Dennis Ausan was transferred to Eastern Visayas.