PCOS Machines Taken to Voting Centers for Final Testing and Sealing

The 592 units of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that will be used by the 547,681 voters in Cebu City during the Automated Local and National Elections on Monday have been brought already to the different voting centers.

Election Officer Ferdinand Gujilde said the PCOS machines were escorted by policemen and some employees of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and City Treasurer’s Office when these were transported to different schools where the elections will be conducted.

Gujilde said the major political groups like the Team Rama and Bando Osmeña Pundok-Kauswagan (BOPK) were not prevented to send their representatives if they want to assist the policemen and Comelec personnel in securing the PCOS machines at the schools while waiting for the elections.

The PCOS machines were turned over to the school principals, particularly to the members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) who conducted the testing and sealing of the machines.

The final testing and sealing is a crucial process that should be undertaken to ensure that all PCOS machines and other possible glitches will be resolved before the conduct of elections on Monday.

Gujilde, however, said that with the final testing and sealing of PCOS yesterday they were able to anticipate the common problems to be encountered by the BEI’s, although the Comelec will assign several technicians to respond to technical problems of PCOS.

The members of the BEI are advised not to panic in case they will experience some glitches because it can be easily solved by the technicians. In every five clustered precincts, the Comelec will assign one technician to respond to problems.

After the testing and sealing yesterday, the PCOS machines were placed inside one room to make it easy for the security personnel to secure the election gadgets from possible illegal activities.

But Gujilde has reminded the people that their continued vigilance, particularly among the political parties, poll watchers and the voting public in general, is the best move to prevent cheating, vote buying and other irregularities during the Election Day.