Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair Saidamen Pangarungan is optimistic that the conduct of the final sealing and testing of Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) will have a good impact on the upcoming May 2022 elections.
"Kasi nakikita natin na yung proseso ng eleksyon ay okay naman dito sa final testing at sealing (Because we can see the election process is orderly here in the final testing and sealing)," he said during an FTS he attended in San Juan City on Tuesday, May 3.
He said that he considers the event to be flawless and perfect as he was very satisfied with the process.
According to Commissioner George Erwin Garcia, more or less 100 percent of VCMs have been delivered to the whole country. He said that it needs to be delivered in time for the final testing and sealing which will run from May 2 to 7.
Pangarungan said that the process was very smooth as no functions or anything occurred.
"I'm very thankful na ganito kinalabasan ng resulta (that this was the result)," he added.
Garcia urged the public to participate in the FTS as they will be allowed to observe and take part in the actual test of the machines. He added that the FTS is conducted to determine any defects with the VCMs so it can be replaced in case it malfunctions.
In case of any bugs or glitches with the machines on election day, Garcia said they already have contingency measures in place. Technicians who are trained to fix the VCMs will be available and in case the machines need to be replaced, he said that voting will not cease while waiting for a new machine.