Comelec reminder: OAV now underway, but votes not counted yet


By TINA PANGANIBAN-PEREZ, GMA News
“Maganda po 'yung tinatakbo ng ating overseas voting posts.”
This was how Commission on Elections spokesperson Director James Jimenez assessed the first weekend of overseas absentee voting for the midterm polls,  despite several problems encountered in a few posts.
Jimenez reported that in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, the computerized list of voters was held up at Saudi’s customs bureau. To solve the problem, “Kami ay nagpadala ng soft copy doon sa DFA post na nagsagawa ng botohan doon. Unfortunately, medyo malaki yung files so medyo natatagalan yung pagda-download ng mga files,” Jimenez told GMA News.
As a back-up measure, Comelec in Manila helps in voter verification. “Inaalam nila yung pangalan ng botante at direktang mine-message sa Comelec para yung Comelec dito sa Maynila, kami na ang nagve-verify. At binabalik natin ngayon yung verification sa kanila,” Jimenez explained.
Votes not counted yet
As the Comelec expected, there are also fake news circulating after foreign posts opened for voting on Saturday—in particular the "news" that some candidates are leading in votes or have even already won.
“Halimbawa, may nagsasabi na lamang na raw si ganito, panalo na si ganyan. Eh tatlong araw pa lang ang botohan. Pangalawa, hindi pa nagbibilangan 'yan. Magbibilangan tayo ng May 13 pa lamang, kasabay ng botohan dito sa Pilipinas,” Jimenez said.
He called on voters to be more discerning. “Maging mapanuri rin. Hindi lahat ng naririnig natin online ay totoo,” Jimenez said.
“Hindi rin naman ginagawa ng Comelec na lahat ng batikos ay dini-dismiss as fake news. Merong fake news. Wag tayong matakot na sabihing fake 'yan.”
Glitches not cheating
Jimenez also confirmed reports that in Hong Kong, there were problems with a vote counting machine, but denied speculations online that this was a scheme to cheat.
“Yan 'yung unang-unang fake news na na nakita namin,” Jimenez cited. “Bago pa mag-start 'yung botohan, 'yung mga makina, part of the routine procedure ay dadaan muna sa isang diagnostic. At 'yung mga makinang sinabing hindi gumana, isinantabi sila,” he explained.
“Hindi nagamit. Walang laman na boto, walang laman na balota o anything so paano siya magiging pandaraya? Hindi rin natin sinasabi na lahat ng makina, 100-percent eh walang chance na mag-fail,” Jimenez added.
There was also the usual problem of voters not finding their names on the voters’ list, which Comelec is solving on a case-to-case basis. “It is possible na hindi na sila registered o deactivated na pala sila,” Jimenez explained.
Comelec also reminded voters not to take photos of their ballots.
“Kailangang panatilihin natin yung ballot secrecy. It is possible for that to be grounds for a complaint,” Jimenez said. — BM, GMA News

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