Isabela election office starts IEC campaign for poll automation

Ilagan, Isabela (December 15) — The province’s election office has started its information, education and communication campaign for the 2010 poll automation as it started its IEC to provincial officials and employees.

In a flag raising ceremony held here today, no less than the acting Provincial Election supervisor Atty. Manuel Castillo informed and discussed to provincial officials and employees the advantages of using computerized elections next year.

Atty. Castillo said the use of computers during the 2010 election will shorten the burden of manual counting and transmission of election results from precinct level to municipal and provincial board of canvassers.

He also said that there will be faster transmission of election results through electronic transmission with only five to ten minutes from precinct level to municipal and provincial board of canvassers.

After the transmission of five to ten minutes, the poll computerized machine will produce and print the election result which will served as official election returns which are used as basis in proclaiming winning candidates.

The poll official said that the use of the new poll automation machine for the first time in Philippine election history would erase the doubts of losing candidates that there are poll manipulations of election results.

“The use of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) will shorten the burden of too long manual counting and dangers in the transmission of election returns and will erase doubts from losing candidates that there are manipulation of election results,” Castillo said.

The IEC activity in the provincial capitol will b a start of series of IEC activity to be conducted by the election office here.

There will also be conducted an IEC campaign for the Kapisanan ng mga Broadcasters ng Pilipinas (KBP- Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Kalinga Chapter) to be conducted by the Comelec and the election computer supplier Total Information Management-Smartmatic (TIM-SMARTMATIC) that will be held tomorrow at Isabela Hotel and Restaurant with the support of Coca Cola Philippines -Ilagan Plant.

Coca Cola-Ilagan has made arrangement with the Comelec to enable media personalities to know the computerized voting process and that will served as information multipliers regarding the computerized election process for the public.

Coca Cola Philippines’ hosting of such IEC activity is part of Corporate Social Responsibility in helping government programs and projects. (PIA Isabela)