Bacolod Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson yesterday expressed confidence that poll automation will be implemented in Bacolod City during the May 10 elections.

Sayson also said that poll officials will have a copy of the election results before the votes will be electronically transmitted from polling precincts to canvassing centers on election day, when asked for comment on the reported arrival in the country of some 5,000 jammers of mobile phone signals.

The Commission on Elections has expressed concern over the matter after receiving information that the jammers were smuggled into the country three weeks ago.

The presence of the jamming devices is a cause for alarm for poll officials since these could be used to block the electronic transmission of votes from polling precincts to canvassing centers on election day.

The COMELEC is now coordinating with the Bureau of Customs about the reported smuggling incident.

Sayson said the electronic transmission of the results will be done after the closing of the polling precincts.

Before the results will be transmitted, the machine will generate eight reports to be given to the different representatives of the different political parties, he said.

Even if there is jamming, the poll official in the precinct will have a hard copy of the results before this is transmitted, he added.

Meanwhile, Sayson said the machines should be in the polling places at least a week before the elections and should already be tested.

But, in the worst case scenario, he said, it will be okay if they have to go back to manual operation.*CGS

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