PRO XI Director Police Brigadier General Marcelo Morales gives security updates on the conduct of the 2019 Midterm Elections in Davao Region at the Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School in Davao City on 13 May 2019. MindaNews photo by MANMAN DEJETO
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/13 May) – A total of 110 vote-counting machines (VMCs) across Davao Region bogged down on Election Day, Police Regional Director Brig. Gen. Marcelo C. Morales said.
Morales told a press briefing at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School in Davao City around 1p.m. on Monday that the Commission on Elections regional office received reports on the malfunctioning VCMs, but assured that Smartmatic technicians were immediately fixing them.
Voting in precincts with malfunctioning VCMs resumed using the manual system but added the poll body assured to proceed with the digital mode once the the VCMs were repaired, he said.
There were 3,700 VMCs in Davao Region, the Philippine News Agency reported on Sunday.
But Morales said Election Day in the region was generally peaceful.
“Walang untoward incident na receive or happened although may reported na mga alleged vote-buying but when verified hindi naman pala totoo ang allegations of vote buying (We learned of no untoward incident, although there were reports of alleged vote-buying that turned out to be not true when verified),” he said.
All 1,440 polling centers across the region were open on Election Day, he said.
He said the police did not receive information on the presence of armed groups but assured the combined police and military forces are ready.
He said 8,610 police and 6,000 military personnel were deployed on Election Day.
As of 12 noon Monday, the regional police office reported eight cases of vote buying, two persons arrested for liquor ban violation, and one election-related violent incident.
The latter refers to the killing on May 7 of Rogelio Serrano Jr., brother and administrative aide of incumbent New Corella Mayor Rhodora Alcoran. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
