By Belarmino Dabalos Saguing

Email: bdsaguing@gmail.com

Mobile: +39 3356880613

News item: Comelec eyes automated brgy polls (SOLAR NEWS Fri, Jun 7 2013)

The lessons of this year’s Midterm Election, clearly was not learned by the COMELEC who says it is considering the possibility of conducting automated barangay elections this October.
Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes explained that the poll body may carry out pilot tests in Metro Manila using the precinct count optical scan or PCOS machines.

The poll chief acknowledges, however, that automated barangay elections may be difficult to carry out.

For one, Brillantes points out, using PCOS may mean advancing the timeline for submission of certificate of candidacies (COC).

That means, if the barangay elections are to be held in October, the COC processing would have to be underway around this time.

Brillantes said that he feels, since the PCOS machines are there, it would seem like a waste not to use them productively. But one thing he must realize: the buying of these unreliable machines was a big waste of the people’s money.