APPROXIMATELY 200 automated counting machines (ACMs) were replaced due to technical malfunctions and other issues hampering the ongoing 2025 national and local elections.
In an interview with reporters, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Garcia said he ordered the immediate replacement of malfunctioning ACMs to avoid further delay in the voting.
“Mayroon tayong more or less 200 machines na kinakailangan palitan. Hindi naman huminto pero napapansin namin nakaka-dalawang beses nag-reject,” Garcia said.
(We have more or less 200 machines that need to be replaced. They didn’t completely stop working, but we noticed they tend to reject ballots about twice.)
“Kaagad nagdesisyon ang aming operations center na i-pull out ang machines at palitan ito ng bago para hindi maging worse pa,” he added.
(Our operations center immediately decided to pull out the machines and replace them with new ones to prevent the situation from getting worse.)
In Mandaluyong City, three ACMs malfunctioned, while five machines also failed to operate at Lahug Elementary School.
There were also reports of malfunctioning VCMs in Meycauayan City as well as in the province of Batangas.
Garcia said the Comelec has 16,000 extra VCMs to replace those currently in use should the need arise. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)