Comelec-NIR to hold poll counting machine demo in every LGU

BACOLOD CITY - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will conduct a demonstration of the automated counting machine (ACM) in every local government unit (LGU) in Negros Island Region (NIR) as part of the voters' education campaign for the May 2025 national and local elections. NIR Election Director Lionel Marco Castillano said they intend to show the ACMs to various sectors to encourage acceptance of the counting system. 'There will be one machine for each city and municipality. Before, there were only two counting machines that made the rounds in each region. This time, we will show the ACMs to each and every one,' Castillano said in a press conference at the provincial capitol's social hall here on Saturday. He said the ACM demo will be held from the first week of December up to the end of January. 'In those two months, you will see the Comelec going even to the barangays to hold a demo for various sectors. We can hold a demo for senior citizens, students and even political parties,' he added. Under t he NIR, Negros Occidental is comprised of one highly-urbanized city, 12 component cities and 19 municipalities; Negros Oriental, six component cities and 19 municipalities; and Siquijor, six municipalities. Before the NIR election officers and the media in Bacolod, Assistant Regional Director Dindo Maglasang conducted the ACM demonstration together with personnel of service provider South Korean joint venture firm Miru Systems. The ACM has a 14-inch touchscreen, sensor, scanner, printer, camera, universal serial bus ports, external keypad, and a voter's receipt receptacle. 'We have safeguards for each of the steps,' Castillano said. The ACM is one of the three salient features of the new Full Automation System with Transparency and Audit/Count (FASTrAC) that will be used by the Comelec in next year's elections. The two others are the online voting and counting system and the secure electronic transmission services. 'Comelec's duty is to deliver to the Filipino people elections that follow the changing t imes. FASTrAC is the only modern solution that does not compromise the transparency and security of Philippine democracy,' Comelec said in a statement. (PNA) Source: Philippines News Agency