The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) said that the conduct of this year's general elections was smooth and peaceful so far.
The election watchdog made the statement on Monday noon and was based on the observation of its volunteers who were deployed in different voting centers across the country.
"Namfrel volunteers reported that in general, the conduct of the elections has been smooth and peaceful so far, with most polling places opening on time, no significant delay in the start of voting, with the electoral boards as well as the machines and election paraphernalia complete in most polling places observed," the group said.
"Most polling places observed, the opening process went on smoothly, and the members of the electoral board (EB) were transparent and appeared well-organized," it added.
VCMs
However, the election watchdog noted some difficulties concerning vote counting machines (VCMs) and adherence to health protocols.
In some areas, the VCMs encountered issues of paper jam and machines rejecting ballots or shutting down, said Namfrel.
The same issue was also noted by the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE).
"We call on the Comelec (Commission on Elections) to provide an update on the total number of VCMs that have broken down and the specific reasons for each of the breakdowns," said LENTE.
Health protocols
Non-adherence to physical distancing and improper use of face masks were noted by both Namfrel and LENTE.
"Anti-Covid protocols were not properly enforced and observed, most especially physical distancing and proper wearing of face masks. Temperatures are also not consistently being checked at the entrance to the voting center," said Namfrel.
"It also affected voting centers' effectiveness in handling the flow of voters going inside the voting centers, which also resulted in crowding outside polling places and in corridors," it added.
LENTE, meanwhile, expressed its concern about "the non-compliance to health and safety protocols due to the influx of voters and calls on the public to follow the one-meter social distancing and to wear face masks at all times."
Both groups said they will continue to observe the conduct of elections in the different areas up until the closing of voting hours.