Lorenzana sees peaceful elections on May 9
BY VICTOR REYES and GERARD NAVAL
SECURITY forces are on nationwide alert for the national and local elections to be held on May 9 which was declared by Malacañang yesterday as a special non-working holiday.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, at a briefing, said he is expecting a generally peaceful election as the military and the police have prepared well for Monday’s polls as deputies of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The poll body declared full readiness to conduct the polls.
“We are all systems go. We are just waiting for the date of the elections,” Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said in a press conference.
“We are 100 percent all set for May 9. Failure is not an option for the Comelec,” he added.
The PNP went on full alert on Wednesday morning while the military’s red alert status took effect today.
“The AFP is prepared, we are ready. We have done the planning, we have done the organization and we have set up our monitoring command centers,” said Armed Forces chief Gen. Andres Centino.
“We are declaring red alert by Friday to ensure that all AFP personnel across the country are accounted for by their commanders and ready for the election on Monday,” he added. Army spokesman Col. Xerxes Trinidad said red alert is declared to ensure “we will have available troops… so that we will have enough forces for this (election.)” “It’s in preparation for possible threats and other problems later on, that’s why we are going on red alert… It’s more of the availability of personnel.”
PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos announced on Wednesday night that all police units nationwide have been placed on full alert status. “We are all systems go,” he said.
The PNP alert took effect at 6 a.m on Wednesday, said PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Roderick Alba.
On Wednesday morning, authorities sent off soldiers, policemen and Philippine Coast Guard personnel from Camp Crame to the provinces where they will perform election-related duties.
Also on Wednesday, the PNP activated its National Election Monitoring and Action Center (NEMAC) and Regional Election Monitoring and Action Centers (REMACs).
The NEMAC and REMACs will serve as “eyes and ears” of the PNP Security Task National and Local Elections 2022. These centers will provide updated reports on incidents and security activities related to the polls.
Officials have said over 100,000 policemen and soldiers will be deployed on election day throughout the country, including in 104 municipalities and 14 cities that are classified as critical areas.
Lorenzana, at the”Laging Handa” public briefing, said the military and the police have prepared well for the elections.
“As of now, we have 40,000 military (personnel) ready to help ensure a peaceful election,” said Lorenzana.
“Generally, it will be a very peaceful election,” he added.
Lorenzana nevertheless said some election-related incidents cannot be avoided during the election, noting political rivalries. “But it will be very isolated and there will be few,” said Lorenzana.
“Now after the election, I don’t think there will be violence because as I said, whoever will be proclaimed by the Comelec, we will recognize them as winners,” said Lorenzana.
President Duterte, in declaring May 9 a special non-working holiday throughout the country, said it will enable the public to go out and vote.
“There is a need to declare Monday, 09 May 2022, a special (non-working) holiday to enable the people to properly exercise their right to vote, subject to the public health measures of the national government,” the President said in signing Proclamation No. 1357 on May 5.
HIGH TURNOUT
Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said the poll body expects voter turnout to be high given the enthusiasm seen in political rallies, during voter registration, overseas voting, and local absentee voting,
Add to this, he said, is the “historical” value of the May 2022 elections.
“We have high expectations as we can see with what is happening now. This will be a historic and very memorable election. In a pandemic situation, we are electing a new president,” he said.
Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ferolino said almost all poll paraphernalia to be used on Monday have been dispatched.
This means that all 106,174 vote counting machines (VCMs), 5,794 broadband global area networks, 53,107 ballot boxes, 65,745,526 official ballots, and 1,715 consolidation and canvassing system kits have been 100 percent dispatched.
The Comelec said 99.81 percent of 106,174 external batteries have been deployed.
Garcia also said that 87 percent or 57,270,456 of the over 65 million voter information sheets have also been distributed.
DEFECTIVE MACHINES
About 0.5 percent (355) of over 70,924 VCMs malfunctioned during the final testing and sealing (FTS) operations.
“It is a very small number out of the total VCMs that have conducted FTS. The 355 defective VCMs is very small,” said Casquejo.
He said majority of the malfunction involve loose contact scanners, defective printer rollers, and dirt.
Casquejo said the defective VCMs are now undergoing repair in repair hubs and the Comelec warehouse in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
These are located in Davao City, Cagayan de Oro City, Zamboanga City, Cebu City, Tacloban City, Sta. Rosa, in Ilocos Region, and Metro Manila.
“Come Election Day, we will have repaired the 355 voting machines,” said Casquejo.
He said they also have 1,100 contingency machines strategically deployed nationwide.
“I can assure everyone, the public, the political parties, the candidates, that there will be no problem in our VCMs,” said Casquejo.
Asked for the reasons for malfunctioning VCMs, he said, “It’s been used three times or since 2016. Although we repaired it, we refurbished it, it is but normal.”
Casquejo also stressed the FTS is being held to check the voting machines and determine the readiness of all the 106,174 units. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
