Comelec Selects 36 Precincts in Negros for Random Manual Audit

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – A total of 36 precincts across Negros Island have been selected for the Commission on Elections’ Random Manual Audit (RMA), according to Comelec–Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) Assistant Regional Director Jossil Macute.

In a media interview on Tuesday, Macute said 18 precincts were chosen in Negros Occidental, three in Bacolod City and 15 in Negros Oriental.

He explained that the precincts were randomly selected at noon on election day.

Macute said he will personally escort the ballot boxes to the Comelec main office in Manila.

The RMA compares vote counts from the automated counting machines (ACMs) with the actual physical ballots.

The audit is expected to take one to two months to complete.

“This is to make sure that what the ACMs read matches the actual ballots,” Macute said.

The RMA is a nationwide mandate aimed at ensuring transparency and integrity in the electoral process.

Minor Technical Issues Reported

Macute also addressed technical issues encountered during the elections.

Some ACMs malfunctioned due to ink smudging caused by wet ballots from marking pens.

Other machines overheated in poorly ventilated classrooms.

He said most issues were resolved quickly either by cleaning the scanners or replacing the units.

Macute assured that Comelec had sufficient backup machines on standby.

Defective units were immediately sent to provincial tech hubs for repair.

Despite the minor delays, Macute said the election process went smoothly overall.

He credited the cooperation of local candidates for maintaining a generally peaceful atmosphere.

Based on Comelec’s assessment, Macute rated the regional elections an 8 out of 10, noting there is still room for improvement.