Comelec chief: Elections went smoothly

Despite delays caused by malfunctiong vote counting machines, the head of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Monday's general elections "went smoothly."

"Overall, we believe that the elections went smoothly," said Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista in a press conference at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City as polling centers closed.

Bautista anchored his assessment on statistics about complaints regarding the voting machines and actions taken by the Comelec.

As of 4 p.m., 2,363 precincts reported about problematic VCMs but most of these issues had been addressed, he said.

This was lower compared to 2,160 in 2013 and 1,966 in 2010 when the country had its first automated polls. 

Only 150 machines out of 92,509 clustered precincts (0.16 percent) had to be replaced this year as against 171 (out of 77,829 precincts or 0.22 percent) in 2013 and 205 (out of 76,347 precincts or 0.27 percent) in 2010.  

The Comelec had extended by an hour voting in clustered precincts where voting started 9 a.m. or later due to busted VCMs.

Bautista could not say how many precincts were affected.

Voting period commenced early Monday morning at 6 a.m., and was initially expected to finish at 5 p.m.

Bautista also declined to give an estimate of the voter turnout for now.

Reports said the poll body was expecting a turnout of 75-80 percent from 54,363,844 registered voters this year, up from 74 percent in the 2010 presidential election.

In an earlier statement, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) expressed alarm over "widespread" reports of VCM glitches.

The PPCRV received reports of VCM breakdowns in Metro, Cavite, Bataan, Quezon, Leyte, Camarines Sur, Zambales, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and Misamis Occidental.

Election Day violence

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, meanwhile, reported that at least 10 people were killed in election-related violence on election day.

Military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the deaths were results of 22 election-related incidents, mostly reported in Western Mindanao.

He said the number is based on reports received by the AFP from midnight to 2 p.m.

For his part, Bautista said the number of election related violent incidents is lesser in 2016 compared to the last two elections.

But the poll chief did not give comparative figures. — ALG/RSJ, GMA News