PCOS machine glitches mar polls

MANILA, Philippines - Precincts all over Metro Manila reported malfunctioning precinct count optical scan machines (PCOS) even before voting started yesterday.

At the Flora Ylagan High School in Quezon City, principal Maximo Placio said one machine did not function when the poll precincts opened, while another stopped working after having accepted 80 ballots. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) technician arrived at around noon, he said.

In Teodora Alonzo Elementary School in Barangay Marilag, a PCOS machine also bogged down at around 10 a.m. after accepting about 60 ballots, according to principal Alice Masubay.

There were also reports of malfunctioning PCOS machines at San Antonio Elementary School and San Francisco Del Monte Elementary School and in Barangay West Triangle, according to Quezon City Police District director Senior Superintendent Richard Albano. 

A PCOS machine kept on rejecting ballots at the Claret School of Quezon City while another machine at the Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science and Technology High School started acting up after accepting around 80 ballots.

In Judge Juan Luna High School in Barangay Bungad, voting in one of the precincts was delayed for about an hour after the PCOS machine refused to operate. It finally functioned at around 8 a.m.

At the General T. De Leon Elementary School, one of the schools with the largest voting population in Valenzuela, election inspectors reported that some ballots jammed when voters tried to feed them to the machines.

In Valenzuela’s second district, election officer Roderick Villostas said some PCOS machines developed minor problems that were immediately repaired.

Meanwhile, Navotas City election officer Armando Mallorca said four PCOS machines malfunctioned during startup but they were fixed by support staff.

In Caloocan City, first district election officer Floriana de Guia said the battery of a PCOS machine at the Star Elementary School malfunctioned and the whole unit had to be replaced by their contingency machine.

A PCOS machine at a precinct in Cielito Zamora Memorial School, also in Caloocan, also encountered startup problems prior to the opening of the polls yesterday. The issue was resolved several minutes later.

At least seven PCOS machines malfunctioned in Marikina City, according to Eastern Police District director Chief Superintendent Miguel Laurel.

One of the PCOS machines that malfunctioned were at the Nangka Elementary School while three machines each were at the Kapitan Moy Elementary School and the Malanday Elementary School. – Reinir Padua, Janvic Mateo, Non Alquitran