The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region is ready for the delivery of thousands of automated counting machines (ACMs) that would be used in the May 12 midterm elections.
Comelec-NIR assistant regional director Jossil Macute told the media on Monday the hubs where the ACMs will be stored upon arrival next month have already been identified.
“The official cargo forwarder of the ACMs is closely coordinating with the Comelec and we have identified the hubs where these units are to be stored until they are delivered to the different local government units in the NIR,” Macute said.
The ACMs, to be shipped via a commercial vessel, are expected to arrive on April 17. They will be stored at the holding areas until delivery to the LGUs a few days before the May 12 midterm elections for the final testing and counting.
Macute said Negros Occidental will receive 2,484 ACMs; Negros Oriental, 1,289; and Siquijor, 149.
The number of machines is equivalent to the number of clustered precincts, he added.
Some 50 to 70 additional ACMs are also allocated for NIR as a contingency in case some units break down.
ACMs intended for Canlaon City and other LGUs in Negros Occidental that are threatened by a possible eruption of Mt. Kanlaon will also be delivered within the same time frame, Macute said.
The Office of Civil Defense and the Comelec have already mapped out a contingency plan in the event of an Alert Level 4 scenario on election day or ahead of it, he pointed out.
Macute reassured that elections would push through in these areas even in the event of another eruption as government authorities are already anticipating a worst-case scenario.
The Commission on Elections will deploy teams across the Negros Island Region starting Friday for a door-to-door distribution of critical voter materials ahead of the May 12 national and local elections.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, Comelec-NIR Assistant Regional Director Jossil Macute said the Voter’s Information Sheets will be hand-delivered to all registered voters, marking a significant operational shift from the unreliable postal system that previously failed to reach many citizens.
“The VIS contains the names of national and local candidates as well as personal information of a voter, such as his assigned voting center or precinct,” Macute said.
The Comelec aims to complete deliveries to all 1.2 million registered voters across NIR’s 19 legislative districts by April 30.
Distribution teams will prioritize obtaining recipient signatures to confirm delivery, though documents will be left at visible home locations when residents are unavailable.
Each VIS clearly specifies the voter’s exact precinct and voting center location, along with complete lists of national and local candidates to minimize ballot confusion.
Macute said voters are strongly encouraged to verify their details at Comelec offices, though officials note most precinct assignments remain unchanged from previous elections.
This manual distribution strategy directly addresses the 18% of Negros voters who reported missing VIS mailings during the 2023 elections, when precinct confusion contributed to 30 percent of voting delays. (PNA)
