STARTING Tuesday night, May 6, 2025, the Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) will be brought down from the Cebu City Treasurer’s Office and assembled at Plaza Independencia for delivery to polling centers on Wednesday, May 7.
The delivery will start early morning of May 7 for the final testing and sealing.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, deputy city director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said their 382 personnel are now prepared to escort the ACMs along with the batteries, ballot boxes, and other election paraphernalia.
Once released from the Treasurer’s Office, police personnel will maintain round-the-clock security over these materials until they reach all 73 polling centers across Cebu City.
Macatangay clarified that the police will not return to their stations but will remain in their assigned areas until the elections conclude on May 12, 2025.
"Once to be released with the Treasurer’s Office here at the City Hall area, kuyogan na na sa atoang kapulisan until these items will arrive at the respective polling centers and ang atong kapulisan once they arrived at their designated polling centers, dinha na na sila hangtod gyud nga mahuman ang piniliay karong May 12," said Macatangay.
(Once these are released from the Treasurer’s Office here at the City Hall area, our police will accompany them until the items reach the respective polling centers. Once at their designated posts, our police will stay there until the elections are over on May 12.)
She added that Cebu City has 73 polling centers, with the majority located in the city's mountain barangays.
The CCPO will deploy a minimum of four police officers per polling center. Larger centers with higher voter populations will have more police assigned.
In addition to uniformed personnel, police assistance desks will also be set up as contact points in case issues arise.
The CCPO has prepared over 1,000 police officers to secure election paraphernalia, with more to be deployed on Election Day, May 12.
Among the 73 polling centers, the CCPO reported no major concerns, as all necessary communication systems have signal access -- except for some remote areas that will require alternative communication methods.
Meanwhile, Macatangay said that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has not encountered any issues so far in the transmission of votes from the ACMs. (AYB)