Jail personnel and persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were also among those who tried the Automated Counting Machines (ACM) of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) during its kick-off roadshow here, Dec. 2.
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) MIMAROPA Information Officer, Jail Officer 3 Joefrie Anglo, said that 26 PDLs and seven jail personnel, who are registered voters at the BJMP-San Teodoro District Jail in Oriental Mindoro, were among those who tried the machines.
Anglo said that BJMP earlier made a request from the local COMELEC office here for an ACM demonstration to help registered voters get familiarized with the ACMs.
During the roadshow, a lecture on the features of the ACM and the voting process was also given by the local election officers.
Some PDLs and jail personnel were also randomly picked to “cast their ballots” during the demonstration, Anglo said.
He added, “The demonstration featured a live voting simulation, with participation from PDLs and BJMP personnel, who practiced shading, casting, and checking their ballots using the ACM.”
Meanwhile, during the nationwide kick-off ACM demonstration at Camp BGen Efigenio C. Navarro in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro COMELEC MIMAROPA Regional Elections Director Gloria G. Ramos-Petallo said that the deployment of the machines is part of the COMELEC’s initiative to further modernize the voting system and build trust in the electoral process.
“Walang isa mang Pilipino o isang botante na sa araw ng eleksyon ay hindi alam kung paano gagamitin ang ating automated counting machines. Wala naman pong ganitong kick-off activity before na nagtuturo to the public na this is how to vote using the machine,” Petallo said.
She is also optimistic that the May 2025 national and local polls will be transparent and accurate.
The nationwide ACM roadshow, which started on Dec. 2, will run until January 30, 2025.
COMELEC is also calling on residents to attend and actively participate in the ACM simulation for them to get acquainted with the voting process. (JBG/PIA MIMAROPA/Photos from BJMP-MIMAROPA)
