By Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA
DUMAGUETE CITY — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Oriental is gearing up for its province-wide roadshow in relation to the May 13 mid-term elections.
OIC Provincial Election Supervisor Eliseo Labarias said in an interview Tuesday that they are awaiting the arrival of a Vote Counting Machine (VCM) on Wednesday which will be used for the roadshow.
According to him, his office received a VCM unit last week but upon inspection, it was discovered that its scanner was not working so they had to request for a replacement unit.
The roadshow will focus on the use of the VCM, especially because it has new features compared to the one used in the 2016 presidential and national polls.
“Ang atong VCM dunay mga ginagmay nga enhancement mao nga atong ipakita kini sa roadshow ug ang balota nga atong gamiton, mao na kini siya ang gamiton (We will be showing in the roadshow the new enhanced features of the VCM and the ballots to be used for operations during election day),” Labaria said.
He noted that a trainors’ training of Comelec supervisors and selected election officers in the whole of Region 7 (Central Visayas) covering the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Negros Oriental, will be held for one week starting Feb. 18 here in Dumaguete.
The following week will be set aside for VCM training for the technical support of about 1,000 technicians.
The VCM training for the Electoral Boards (formerly known as the Board of Election Inspectors) will be held on March 4 to 16.
The last to train will be the Board of Canvassers, Labarias said.
The first activity for the roadshow will be held in this city but the Comelec still has to finalize the dates for the entire activity, he added.
