BIÑAN, LAGUNA — THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to conduct a field test of the entire automated election system (AES) to be used in the May 2025 national and local polls this weekend in 20 areas in the country and overseas.
In a press briefing, Comelec chairman George Garcia said they will conduct the field test on Saturday “to know if these machines, satellites, and other components of the AES will perform well in the field.”
He said that during the field testing, machines, applications, transmission, and procedures will be performed in locations where they will be used on Election Day.
“The Comelec is all set for the conduct of the field test,” Garcia said, adding the provincial field test sites will be in Hamtic and San Jose in Antique, Basco and Ivana in Batanes, Davao City and Malalag in Davao del Sur, Quezon and Roxas in Palawan, Bongao and Languyan in Tawi-Tawi, and Kapalawan and Ligawasan in the Special Geographic Area.
In the National Capital Region, there will be field tests in the cities of Manila and Taguig and the municipality of Pateros.
Overseas, field testing will be held in Tokyo in Japan, New York and Washington in the United States, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and Athens in Greece.
“We will use the Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) here and the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) overseas,” said Comelec – Information Technology Department (ITD) Director Jeannie Flororita.
The poll chief said there will be 10 ballots to be used in every field test site, which will be handled by Comelec personnel as it is considered as an internal activity of the poll body.
Garcia said the Consolidation and Canvassing System and transmission equipment will also be tested during the one-day activity.
In a related development, Garcia said nearly 80 percent, or 85,944 out of the total 110,620, of the ACM units have been turned over by Miru Systems to the Comelec.
“The remainder of the 110,000 ACM units are now in the Bureau of Customs and are undergoing processing,” he also said, adding that “anytime now, probably until next week, they will already be delivered here.”
Garcia said the delivery of the ACMs by Miru comes earlier than the established deadline, which is by December 2024.