Several vote counting machines (VCM) malfunctioned during the final testing and sealing (FTS) of the devices yesterday, May 6, 2016.

According to Malou Cempron, election assistant II of the Provincial Commission on Elections (Comelec) Office, VCMs in the towns of Ubay and Loon malfunctioned yesterday but the defective units were immediately replaced.

Despite the minor glitches, Cempron said that the FTS was successful.

She assured the public that they need not worry about the VCMs that will be used during the polls on May 9, 2016, particularly as 100 backup units are available to precincts across the province should the primary VCMs malfunction.

Bohol Comelec registrar Atty. Roco Lamanilao said that should VCMs malfunction during the elections, technicians on standby will also quickly respond to fix glitches.

The technicians will be deployed in areas across the province and will be on standby outside poll precincts.

Lamanilao assured the public that the technicians have undergone proper training to troubleshoot malfunctions of the VCM.

Twenty five VCM technicians will be deployed in Tagbilaran City and two will be stationed in each polling center.

The FTS conducted yesterday was led by the Board of Election Inspector which included the group’s chairman, poll clerk, and support staff. It was also witnessed by VCM technicians, watchers from the respective parties and other onlookers in Tagbilaran and towns in the province.

The FTS was conducted to check VCMs that will be used during the elections for defects.

During the test, ten sample ballots were fed to each VCMs together with the receipts.

Cempron added that there were no instances where the VCM produced receipts that did not match the ballots. (with reports from Rey Tutas and Allen Doydora)