The Commission on Elections in Negros Occidental is waiting for the arrival of contingency Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) and laptops for the May 9 polls, acting provincial election supervisor Roberto Salazar said Wednesday, April 20.
Salazar said the Comelec in the province is set for the May polls and so far there are no additional local government units that have been identified as areas concerns.
They also do not see the need to place Moises Padilla under Comelec control, as was done in the previous election, Salazar said.
The Comelec security partners have assured that there is nothing to worry about, Salazar said.
Salazar said while the 2,906 VCMs and laptops for Negros Occidental have arrived, they have not been informed how many contingency units will be sent for possible breakdowns.
If a VCM breaks down, voting will proceed and there will be a batch feed of the ballots as soon as another machine is available, he said.
He said 100 percent of the ballots for Negros Occidental have been printed and are expected to arrive in the last week of April or the first week of May.
The treasurers of the towns and cities of the province, who will be accompanied by the police, will pick up the ballots for their areas at designated points, Salazar said.
Isolation polling areas will be set up for voters with temperatures above 37.5 degrees Celsius, he said.
The provincial canvassing will be held at the Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall at the Capitol in Bacolod City, he said.*