Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner George Erwin Garcia assured on Tuesday, May 3, that no votes will be cast under the name of deceased individuals ahead of the upcoming May 2022 elections.
"Walang patay na makakaboto, pero may mga patay na nakalista pa. Sapagkat hindi natanggal dahil hindi nakapag issue ang mga local civil registrar natin ng mga certification na yung mga tao na yan ay namatay na (No dead person will vote, but there are still names of the deceased in the voter's list. It's because the local civil registrar has not issued a certification that these individuals have died)," Garcia explained during an interview on Unang Balita.
Garcia said that there will be poll watchers stationed who will check if the voter's appearance is the same with the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL). Definitely, he said that those who would do such an attempt will not be allowed to vote.
Meanwhile, Garcia said that more or less 100 percent of Vote Counting Machines (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.
"Ibig sabihin po, susubukan, pagaganahin at kinakailangan makita ng publiko, mga representante ng political parties, mga citizen's arm, makita po nila na ang mga VCM ay magpriprint ng zero, isa lang po ibig sabihin niyan, wala pong laman ang mga machine (It means the machines will be tested for the public as well as representatives of political parties, citizen's arms, to see that the VCMs will print zero which means the machines they are empty)," he said.
The Electoral Boards (EBs), according to Garcia, will also make use of 10 original ballots which will be used to test if the machine will accept and count it properly.
Garcia then 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.
The poll body earlier said that it is confident that there will be no repeat of the seven-hour delay that occurred during the 2019 midterm elections.