The Philippine Online Chronicles

Slow progress and general disorganization in the conduct of the automated elections are causing voters to leave polling centers and discouraging others from going to precincts.

Poll watchers and coordinators have been receiving a steady stream of complaints from different polling centers in Metro Manila.

According to Kabataan Partylist poll watchers, as of 9:34 a.m., only 70 have voted since 7:00 this morning at the Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School in Brgy. Commonwealth.

The situation is the same in Malabon Elementary School, where only five precincts have opened, causing impatient voters to leave. According to reports, in one precinct only five have finished voting, while only seven have finished in another. Almost 18,000 are expected to vote in Malabon Elementary School and the nearby Barangay Bagong Pagasa High School.

Hours to vote

In Dagupan City, Pangasinan, one voter queued as early as 6:15 a.m. at Doña Victoria Elementary school, and finished voting three hours later at 9:20 a.m., a little more than two hours after precincts open at 7 a.m.

A former councilor and her family who cast their vote in the same area had less difficulty compared to others as they knew their precincts beforehand. People waiting for their turn to vote complained of having a hard time looking for their precinct and long queues as people continue to flock to the voting centers.

Meanwhile, a correspondent in Ampid Elementary School in San Mateo, Rizal reported that one PCOS machine conked out and the voting process is very slow (about five voters every 30 minutes), causing people to leave.

Power has been out since 9 p.m. last night, and Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines are running on batteries. The machines are now malfunctioning due to the extreme heat and won't accept ballots.

Voters have reportedly asked Meralco for assistance, but the electricity has not yet been restored.

A PCOS machine has likewise malfunctioned in Xavier School in Ortigas, delaying the counting of votes in the area. Commission on Elections officials said they have asked Smartmatic TIM for a replacement, but did not specify when it would arrive.

In Pangasinan, machines were also reported to have malfunctioned at the West Central Elementary School, and Barangays Caloocan Sur, San Isidro Binmaley, Sta. Barbara, and the North Elementary School in Brgy. Bonoan Gueset, Dagupan City.

To prevent stalling the voting process in the areas, accomplished but unprocessed ballots are placed in ballot boxes for safekeeping while the officials wait for the spare machine to arrive. In Dagupan, voters voiced apprehension on the ballots' security, but as of this writing, the Comelec has yet to respond to their queries.

- With reports from Jane Uymatiao and Maui A. Hermitanio