Foreign observers witness first-hand chaos in automated elections

BACOOR, CAVITE Delegates of the International Observers’ Mission witnessed first-hand how the first automated national and local elections are being conducted, albeit chaotically in the Philippines. Mambog Elemetary School opened at exactly 7 in the morning  and election irregularities were found as observers interviewed PPCRV volunteers and local voters in the area. Many voters complain waiting in line for hours in their assigned voting precints. Some came to the precints as early as 6am and finished voting at 9am. Others experienced worse as they did not find their names in the masterlist of voters. Campaign materials of local candidates were also visible within the school compound.

On the other hand, Alicia Legaspi-72 years old was grateful that she finished voting early, was given priority and allowed to be assisted by her relative in the process of shading the circle to select her chosen candidates. some senior citizens however complained of not being extended the same assistance and was instead attended to by election officers.

In Molino 3 elementary school, the biggest with 25 precincts and 23,000 voters,  election officials were not enough to attend to the crowd of voters who trooped to the school. pollwatchers of political parties were seen distributing the call numbers given to voters.  PPCRV volunteers got their hands full assisting voters who can’t find their precincts.

International observers noted the slow pace at which the voting is happening. based on her computation, Naida Castro, an IOM delegate from the United States, estimated that some precints are able to attend to only 30 voters an hour. “if they continue with the same pace pace, at the end of the day they’ll only be able to service only 36 percent of the voting population,” concluded castro. delegates of the IOM also documented cases where voters who came to the precint leaving for home or elsewhere without voting since they got dismayed. the delegates also pointed that the three teachers assigned in each precint is not enough since it takes a long time only to check the names of the voters.

In san Nicolas Elementary School, some voters complained of receiving Ph 300 which is less than the Ph 500 cash gift that their neighbors received in lieu of vote buying.  A resident in the barangay narrated that pollwatchers’ ID  are being distributed after voting and were used to redeem the cash gifts  from a local leader.

At around noon, the IOM received message from Father Lino Castro saying that the PPCRV officially started the tranmission testing of the PCOS machines in the provincial capitol in Trece Martires.