CNU pilots Comelec’s automated machine demo, info drive in CV

 

Some of the 1,600 Cebu Normal University (CNU) students, faculty members and administrative officials were among the firsts to try and test the accuracy of the automated counting machine (ACM) that will be used in the May 2025 midterm elections.

 

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) chose CNU as the host of its voter education and ACM demonstration, the first in the region, in preparation for next year’s polls.

 

The undertaking was formalized through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between CNU and Comelec as partners in the electoral process and in strengthening the election awareness drive.

 

CNU President Daniel Ariaso, Sr., in a speech, said CNU is fortunate to be able to take part in the voting demonstration of the new election machine, and to contribute to safeguarding the sanctity and integrity of elections come 2025.

 

“Our participation today will help ensure clean, honest and reliable elections for 2025 and beyond. Remember that elections shape how the future of our country will be,” he said.

 

The SUC president was the first to try the automated machine during today’s election awareness campaign at the CNU Idea and Knowledge Center organized by CNU’s College of Public Governance and Safety, Bachelor of Public Administration Students’ Organization and Junior Philippine Society for Public Administration-Central Visayas Chapter in partnership with Comelec.

 

“Enjoyable ang pagboto. Walang glitch. Maganda. As in seamless talaga,” the president shared his assessment following the voting trial.

 

A 17-year-old BSEd Mathematics student Merry Laurene Mancelita echoed Dr. Ariaso’s assessment, saying the voting process using the ACM was “fast, smooth and hassle-free.”

 

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia assured the participants and registered voters gathered at CNU that the ACM is reliable and cannot be hacked.

 

“Hacking is impossible for the system that will be implemented for the elections,” he said.

 

Lawyer Rex Laudiangco, Comelec spokesperson, agreed adding that the ACM is a stand-alone machine with no reception capability, meaning it can only transmit data.

 

The ACM can read ballots as fast as three seconds and has a built-in 14-inch touch-screen feature, allowing the electorate to review or check their votes. The machine also has its own battery that could last around 14 hours even if unplugged.

 

Garcia also said the new ACMs are also built to cater to all types of voters, including members of the vulnerable sectors.

The Comelec chairman said among the Comelec initiatives for 2025 elections are mall and online voting.

 

He said there will be mall voting for precincts near malls or shopping centers, while overseas Filipino can already vote online without the need to go to the embassies.

 

“We should embrace democracy using modern technology,” he said.

 

He added that persons with disabilities, elderly, and pregnant voters are given an option to cast their votes early, from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., during the May 12 elections.

 

Moreover, Garcia challenged CNU participants, especially the students, to vote right.

 

“Kinakailangan patunayan natin na we deserve the future that we are creating right now. We have to prove to everyone that this is our time, this is our moment that we are waiting for to elect the leaders of this nation,” he said.

 

The Voters Information Awareness Campaign and Automated Counting Machine (ACM) Public Demonstration for 2025 National and Local Election facilitated by the College of Public Governance and Safety through its Bachelor of Public Administration Student Organization (BAPASO) as the main organizer.