Comelec Update: 'Poll machines may be delivered ahead of schedule'

(UPDATE) 'Poll machines may be delivered ahead of schedule'

MANILA, Philippines - A Commission

on Elections (Comelec) official on

Wednesday predicted that the 82,000

counting machines may be delivered

way ahead of schedule as he doused

fears that the counting machines will

not be delivered on time, delaying the

May 2010 automated elections.

Lawyer Ferdinand Rafanan, Comelec's

legal division chief, said the

Smartmatic-TIM's promise to deliver a

total of 42,000 units of Precinct Count

Optical Scan (PCOS) by December 31

may not materialize because its

subcontractor in Shanghai, China has

managed to make only one assembly

line operational.

Rafanan said the Shanghai-based

manufacturing firm started assembling

the counting machines only on

December 4.

He said one assembly line can produce

500 units a day, which makes it

impossible for the Shanghai

manufacturing firm to complete the

42,000 requirement by the end of the

month.

He, however, predicted that the total

requirement of 82,000 units may be

completed and delivered to the

Philippines even before February 28

schedule, with the Smartmatic-TIM's

assurance that the manufacturing firm in

Shanghai will be able to make 4 more

assembly lines fully operational by

January.

"If the five assembly lines will be fully

operational by January, in just one

month or less, with 9,000 to be

delivered today (Wednesday), all of the

82,000 machines will be [manufactured]

this January. It may be delivered ahead

of schedule," Rafanan told radio

dzMM.

An ABS-CBN News report, however,

said that only 4,000 units of PCOS

were delivered at the Comelec office in

Intramuros, Manila on Wednesday

morning.

The machines have been transported to

the Smartmatic warehouse in Cabuyao,

Laguna, where the machines will be

subjected to a series of tests.

The Comelec added that some 3,200

machines have also been brought to the

Bureau of Customs office in Manila

and was set for release next week.

Earlier reports said 9,800 would be

delivered this month, and another

20,200 units after the holiday rush.

Teachers, who will be assisting voters

in using the automated poll machines,

have expressed fears that there might

not be enough time for the Comelec to

educate them on how to use the

machines because of the delayed

delivery.

Rafanan said teachers need not worry

because they will be spending only

10% of their time using the machine

during the elections. He said the

Comelec will also assign trained

technicians to each voting precinct to

assist teachers on election day.

Aside from the teachers' education,

schedules for field testings and mock

elections that were supposed to have

started in November have been delayed

because of the delivery problem of the

voting machines.

Poll officials have also yet to be trained

by Smartmatic-TIM people on how to

use the voting machines.
---- sounds promising! -anneski-

(UPDATE) 'Poll machines may be delivered ahead of schedule'