PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) conducts a month-long electoral board (EB) training in Palawan to boost their confidence in performing their tasks as frontliners for the national and local elections on May 12.
Lawyer Percival Mendoza, the provincial election supervisor, said that members of the electoral board have to deal with the automated counting machine (ACM) as well as voters during the election day.
“The electoral boards will be operating a machine, which they are not familiar with in their everyday lives, kasi saka lang naman nila ma-i-encounter ito tuwing election. We have to build confidence… the confidence to face the voters, especially may mga irate voters, pasaway na botante,” he said.
The training from March 3 to 28 will also help some EBs to cope with the technology, which is essential in facilitating the elections. The province simultaneously conducts the training with participants from both the city of Puerto Princesa and the province of Palawan.
Around 1,300 EBs will be trained by COMELEC to serve the 664 clustered precincts in Palawan. Each batch has to undergo a two-day training course within the month of March to guide EBs with the general instructions for the conduct of elections, the features of ACM, and certification by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
The amended Automated Election Law, Republic Act No. 9369, requires each chairman and poll clerk of the precinct to obtain certification from DOST. The South Korean firm Miru Systems will provide the ACM for the 2025 elections.
“Tingin ko, most of them are not yet that familiar. Although most of them have election experience with PCOS (machine) and the VCM. But basically, it has the same features, meron lang innovations and hardware and software updates,” he said.
The general instructions provided by the Commission covered their duties from the opening to the closing of polls, including the disposition of unused ballots. The training is in recognition of their crucial role during the elections, Mendoza added.
COMELEC will have early voting hours for pregnant, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) from 5 AM to 7 A.M. They still have access to priority lanes from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M., accompanied by a maximum of two assistants.
Mendoza reiterated the prohibition on EBs from prematurely announcing voting results. It includes whether a specific registered voter has voted or not, the number of voters who have already voted or failed to vote, or any other fact tending to show the state of the polls.
Other prohibitions on voters discussed are that ballots, secrecy folders, and marking pens must remain inside the polling place and communication is only permitted with the electoral board or designated assistants while inside the polling place.
The Commission emphasized the need to mark the ballot in the secrecy folder and the prohibition against displaying the ballot’s contents. The ballots must also be completed independently by the voter, unless an authorized assistant is present.
For the disposition of unused ballots, the chairperson, in the presence of electoral board members, shall record the quantity of unused ballots in the minutes, tear unused ballots in half lengthwise, place one half in Envelope CEF No. A15 for safekeeping by the election officer, and place the other half in Envelope CEF No. A16 and deposit it in the ballot box, noting this in the minutes.
The members of the electoral board should also sign and affix a thumb mark on the certification of all copies of the election returns (ERs). The Commission reminded that EBs must account for any missing items or face liability and potential charges in the closing of polls.
“The electoral board is the frontliner of our election system. They will be the representative of the Commission on Elections at the precinct level, administering the conduct of voting, counting, and transmission of results. We have to replicate ourselves as people behind COMELEC through them,” he said. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)
