After some voting machines malfunctioned on Monday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has decided to cancel the testing and sealing of other Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines on Tuesday.
In a phone interview with GMANews.TV, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said they decided to cancel the tests at midnight on Monday after reports came in saying some of the PCOS machines being tested have malfunctioned.
A Comelec source said the memory cards from all PCOS machines, which are already pre-positioned around the country, may need to be retrieved.
On Monday, voting machines tested in Makati, Muntinlupa, Pateros, Batangas and Mindoro counted votes for those who were not even marked on the ballot, among other discrepancies. [See: Some poll machines fail to read votes accurately]
Jimenez admitted that the "glitches" experienced by the PCOS units were the primary reason for the cancellation. He noted, however, that this was a good thing because they will be able to remedy the problem on time.
"Napigilan natin (We were able to stop it)," he said. He said that about 15,000 PCOS machines were supposed to be tested on Tuesday.
But Jimenez refused to elaborate any further, saying that the Comelec will be holding a press conference later in the day.
Poll machine supplier Smartmatic spokesman Gene Gregorio told GMANews.TV in a text message that they have yet to confirm when the tests will resume.
Testing and sealing of the PCOS machines are scheduled to be conducted three to seven days before election day, ensuring that the equipment are in good working order.
The Board of Election Inspectors — composed mostly of teachers — are expected to test 10 pre-shaded ballots and see whether the PCOS unit will be able to read the votes.
Some 82,000 PCOS machines will be used in next week's polls, with about 6,000 as spares. — RSJ/HGS
