THE Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is set to hold a National Convention for all election officers in Region 1, for their training on the new voting machines that will be utilized for the upcoming 2025 National and Local Elections.

Atty. Noli Pipo, COMELEC Region 1 director, said this initiative is part of their two-month Automated Counting Machine (ACM) Roadshow, which will take place from December 2024 to January 2025.

The roadshow will equip both election personnel and the public with the necessary knowledge and skills regarding the new machines.

Teams will visit barangays to demonstrate and instruct residents on how to operate the ACMs effectively. Each municipality will be allocated one ACM for demonstration purposes during the roadshow.

COMELEC is also open to collaborate with the Department of Education (DepEd), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and media organizations, upon request.

Pipo also stressed the importance of citizens’ arms like the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), LENTE, and Bantay Balota, urging them to monitor not only the election day proceedings but also the campaign period leading up to it.

Precinct assignments have also been finalized and the COMELEC main office is in charge of printing.

He encouraged the public to check the official list of voters as soon as these are posted to identify non-residents who may be listed in their barangay and to ensure that their own names are included.

He emphasized that there is still time for individuals to file a petition for inclusion if their names are missing from the list. (Ahikam Pasion)

COMELEC: No ‘premature campaigning’ noted during Undas

PANGASINAN Provincial Election Supervisor Ericson Oganiza clarified that the activities of registered political aspirants during the observance of Undas do not constitute premature campaigning.

He explained that while there have been flagrant promotional schemes such as hanging of tarpaulins featuring candidate images, distribution of flyers, and other materials — some of which were even seen at cemeteries during the All Saints’ Day holiday —these actions cannot yet be classified as premature campaigning based on a Supreme Court ruling.

He reiterated that violations can only be considered once the official campaign period begins.

Pangasinan has approximately 2.170 million registered voters, making it a significant area in terms of electoral participation.

In another matter, Oganiza noted that three municipalities within the province have raised objections to certain candidacies, and gave assurance that these concerns have been addressed by the Commission on Elections’ Election Registration Board (ERB). (Ahikam Pasion)

Over 5K ACMs set for use in R1 for 2025 polls

THE Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will deploy 5,000 Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) across the Ilocos Region for the May 2025 local and national elections, and some 15,000 Board of Election Inspectors will be assigned in the region.

Atty. Reddy Balarbar, COMELEC Assistant Regional Director in Region 1, said 10% of the total number of ACMs will serve as contingency machines in case the others malfunction to minimize disruptions and enhance the reliability of the election process.

Balarbar said that past issues with faulty SD cards in the Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) were primarily due to having different providers for these items, but that has been addressed as these components are now bundled together for procurement.

Meanwhile, Atty. Noli Pipo, Regional Director of COMELEC Region 1, announced that each province now has its own ACM Repair Hub, a significant improvement from previous elections when there was only one for the entire region.

There are about 2.17 million registered voters in the region based on the latest validated list from the COMELEC. (Ahikam Pasion)

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