FINAL PREP: Comelec Delivers ACMs, Inspects Ballots for Iloilo City

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By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Commission on Elections has begun delivering automated counting machines to polling centers and inspecting official ballots and other election materials for the May 12 midterm elections in Iloilo City.

Atty. Pinky Tentativa, election officer of Comelec–Iloilo City, said deployment of ACMs started at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6, beginning in Arevalo, followed by Molo, La Paz and Mandurriao.

ACMs for the Jaro district were delivered by noon the same day.

The machines will undergo synchronized final testing and sealing on Wednesday, May 7, before being stored at polling precincts.

The final testing and sealing is an end-to-end process conducted by electoral board members assigned to the precincts.

The process ensures that machines accurately read ballots, count votes, and match automated and manual tallies.

Ten randomly selected voters will cast test ballots, which are manually counted and verified against machine results to ensure accuracy.

“The machines should function properly, and after that, the teachers must ensure the ACMs are sealed and that no transmission occurs since it’s just a test,” Tentativa said.

She added that a “rezero” procedure will also be conducted to clear previous data.

After testing, the machines will be sealed and stored either at their respective voting centers or in mall-based storage for those under the mall voting program.

Tentativa said the storage areas will be secured by the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces.

The machines will remain sealed until the start of voting on May 12.

“We are assured of security because of our PNP counterparts,” she added.

On May 5, Comelec conducted testing for three ACMs assigned to Festive Walk Mall Iloilo.

Machines for other malls, including SM City Iloilo, Robinsons Place Jaro, and Robinsons Place Iloilo, will be delivered Wednesday around 7 a.m. in time for simultaneous testing at 9 a.m.

Contingency machines will also be delivered and tested that day.

Approximately 12,000 voters from eight barangays in Jaro, Mandurriao and City Proper will participate in the mall voting program.

Meanwhile, the Iloilo City Treasurer’s Office and Comelec began inspecting boxes of official ballots on Tuesday for the city’s 417 clustered precincts.

The inspection verifies that the barangay, precinct and number of registered voters match the ballot labels.

The inspection is conducted in the presence of watchers, citizens’ arms and members of the media.

Ballots remain sealed in their boxes and are not fully unpacked during the process.

Tentativa said the ballots and election materials will be secured at the Technical Institute of Iloilo City in Molo under the custody of the City Treasurer’s Office.

“The ballots will be distributed on election day, May 12, at 12:01 a.m.,” she said.

“The CTO will handle the distribution,” she added.