Tagbilaran City (30 January) -- A total of 1,333 Precinct Count Optical Scanners (PCOS) are set for fielding in Bohol, election supervisor Atty. Eliseo Labaria during the recent Kapihan sa PIA.

The number would be fielded in Bohol's 1109 barangays where precincts would be set up, while the extra would be at the easy disposal of Comelec as possible standby units in case of breakdowns, Labaria said.

Powered by electricity with battery packs designed to withstand 14 hours of voting, the PCOS contain a computer technology utilizing an optical scanner, into which paper ballots marked by hand by the voters are inserted to be counted.

The PCOS act as computerized counters capable of sending its summed results to the nearest central tabulation center using the cellular networks, that way politicians aiming to rig results by intercepting the canvass would be in for a big disappointment," a cull from the Pinoy blogsite simplifies.

The PCOS would be Comelec's newest ace in the government's drive to secure the integrity of elections by making sure that human tampering with the very laborious counting of ballots is eliminated, explains Atty. Labaria.

Bohol poll authorities have earlier shared they believe despite minor delays in the delivery of the PCOS by the winning suppliers, the country's first automated elections would steam through.

Comelec has hurdled its initial tests for the country's first automated elections pronouncing a huge with the counting machines transmitting results in two minutes.

The field tests were conducted between 7 a.m. and noon 10 polling precincts and nine selected canvassing centers in Cebu, Benguet, South Cotabato, Pateros, Taguig and Naga City, according to reports.

The field testing proved that voting results from the polling precincts can be transmitted successfully to multi-level canvassing centers using a combination of public telecommunication networks and mobile satellite technologies in just two minutes, said Gene Gregorio, spokesman of Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM), Comelec's technology partner.

The field testing also allows the Comelec to determine possible problems on the big day, reports said. During the field tests last week, Comelec also noted some minor glitches, but the government body was quick to add that it was in fact the reason why field tests were done to correct any surfacing problem before the big day, authorities said.

Over insinuations of failed automated elections and the reservation by the strong Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the Comelec assures everything is being addressed. (PIA)


Source :
PIA Press Release
2010/01/30
http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p100130.htm&no=58