Majority of the Boholanos favor next year’s elections to go back to manual canvassing of votes.

This surfaced as registration of qualified voters continue while filing of certificates of candidacies will end in October this year.

In a random survey conducted by top-rated “Inyong Alagad” program of dyRD,  92% favor for the election canvassing to be manual, instead of automated counting.

Respondents in  the radio survey expressed apprehensions in the conduct of the canvassing citing that computers can be manipulated by the programmers.

Half of those who called for the return to manual canvassing and tabulation said there is lesser fraud in the “mano-mano” counting as compared to the controlled cheating citing that “garbage in, garbage out” once things are automated.

Respondents, however did not discount the possibility of fraud in the manual canvassing. But, they viewed the possible cheating in the manual tabulation to be isolated as compared when canvassing is automated.

If the programmers get corrupted by certain candidates, it can dictate the winning bets even before the election day, they said.

In fact, a respondent recalled how voters were surprised on the victory of then Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay as vice president during that automated election.

Reports said that certain people claiming to have contacts with the Comelec officials are now canvassing  possible client-candidates who want to win through votes’ manipulation in the coming polls.

The remaining 8% who favored an automated election said many risks abound when the counting is done manually. They cited ballot snatching and ballot replacement as predominantly done in the “dagdag-bawas” controversy.

Meanwhile, Prov’l Comelec Supervisor Eliseo Labaria told DYRD’s “Inyong Alagad”program that  until yesterday, there was no official word on the mechanics on how next year’s election be conducted. However, reports from Manila said that central Comelec is now finalizing the type of machines to be used in next year’s automated election.
The Comelec official likewise requested voters to have themselves registered for the 2016 polls as all qualified voters have to personally register themselves at their respective Comelec offices before Oct. 31 this year. Comelec identification cards will be issued for next year’s polls, he said.