KIDAPAWAN CITY – The Commission on Elections conducted a demonstration at the provincial capitol here of the new automated counting machine for next year’s elections.
MENDOZA (Ivy Tejano)
North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza, who participated in the event on Tuesday, Dec. 3, urged government personnel and the media to guide the people on how to use the ACM that has a 14-inch touchscreen, scanner, sensor, camera, universal serial bus ports, external keypad, printer, and voter’s receipt holder. The receipt shows a voter if he has voted, not yet voted, or overvoted.
Mendoza encouraged voters to refrain from rushing their votes and damaging the QR code, the security logo, and the margin bar on the ballot.
“Let’s also be very cautious with individuals who approach politicians or individuals claiming they can hack the system and ensure specific victory of a candidate. Do not just believe them,” Mendoza said.
Myla A. Luna, Comelec-12 election supervisor, and Noor Hafizullah M. Abdullah, election officer, introduced and demonstrated the machine to participants from various sectors.
“We can say that the ACM is very accurate. They are reading the ballots,” Luna said, adding that the purpose of the roadshow is to familiarize voters with the machine, educate them on its proper use, and emphasize the significance of fulfilling their right and duty to vote.