Vote counting machines arrive in PH

Digital signature, one of the security features of the Vote Counting Machine (VCM).
(Photo courtesy of the official Twitter account of Comelec)

MANILA—90,000 of the 97,000 vote counting machines (VCM) to be used in the May 9 elections have arrived in the Philippines, Chairman Andres Bautista of the Commission on Election (Comelec) said on Thursday in a press conference.

The rest of the VCMs are on their way to the country from Taiwan where they are manufactured.

71,456 VCMs are warehoused in Sta. Rosa, Laguna where they are undergoing hardware acceptance test (HAT), the first test to determine if they are ready for use.

“64,382 units of that have already undergone Hardware Acceptance Test (HAT),” Bautista was quoted as saying in a Manila Bulletin report.

According to Marlon Garcia, project manager of Smartmatic, supplier of the VCMs, the HAT is performed to identify if the machines’ scanner are working properly.

“For all the machines, we expect to finish HAT in the next two weeks,” Garcia was quoted as saying in a Philippine Star report.

“Why in the next two weeks? It’s because it is not only for HAT of machines but everything that is coming, as part of election consumables,” he added.

The HAT lasts for 25 minutes. “From unpacking the machines, putting it on the table, turning it on, running the different diagnostics, scanning the ballots and then printing and filling all the forms and then putting the machines back in the boxes so they can be returned to the storage area,” Garcia said.

According to Garcia, the VCMs also undergo accuracy tests where 1,000 ballots are inserted in the machine to determine if they meet the 99.995 percent accuracy requirement as mandated by law.

“No VCM leaves the warehouse without passing these tests and that is how we ensure that the machines will read the votes accurately on election day,” he said.

Machines that do not pass the tests will be replaced or repaired.

“Part of our contract is if a machine is found defective, we have to replace it or repair it. Since the time is very short, the initial approach is to replace it with our stock…then we proceed to the repair of the machines,” Garcia told Manila Bulletin.

Machines that have been repaired will then proceed to re-testing.

“The machines are brought back to the line and they have to go every single step of the process all over again. They have to undergo HAT, accuracy test process and if they are found that they are perfectly working we can use them later on,” he added.

So far, 250 VCMs have been sent to quarantine for repair.

18,000 of the VCMs in the Philippines are currently undergoing clearance procedures at the Bureau of Customs.

“Processing is now almost automatic as soon as the machines arrive at the port and this is important in ensuring that the VCMs will get to the warehouse in time,” Bautista was quoted as saying in a Philippine Star report.

Bautista said that a viewing deck is available for individuals who wish to see how VCMs are tested.

“In the spirit of transparency, we are open to groups coming over for as long as they provide us notice. In fact, we want to invite students to show them what we are doing here so that they can also learn what goes on in an election preparation,” Bautista told the Manila Bulletin.