ARMED with a new automated election system (AES), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said it expects the results of the voting in polling precincts to be transmitted by the automated counting machines (ACMs) within one hour after the closing of polls.

In a press briefing after the site inspection of the Comelec Data Center for the May 2025 polls in Makati City, Comelec chairman George Garcia said they are confident that the voting results will be quickly transmitted with the system to be used by the Joint Venture of IOne Resources Inc. and Ardent Networks Inc., the service provider for the Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETS) project. 

“Hopefully, under the new set up by IOne, we will make sure that from the polling precincts wherever in the country, we will be able to transmit the results immediately,” said Garcia. 

“That is real automation. We want to make sure we can get the results within one hour as long as we have stable signal,” he said. 

To complement the speedy transmission, the Comelec said IOne and Ardent have tapped ePLDT Vitro Data Center to provide a secure facility to serve as the poll body’s data center for the May 2025 polls. 

Garcia said three facilities operated by ePLDT Vitro Data Center will house the Comelec data servers for the forthcoming elections. 

“It is important to have such facilities that are state of the art to serve as home to our servers,” said Garcia. 

Yesterday, ePLDT Vitro provided a tour of its facility in Makati City to Comelec officials and select members of the media.