Comelec chief belies report of Duterte-to-Roxas switch in VCM testing

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Baustista on Thursday belied reports that votes for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte were credited to rival presidential candidate Mar Roxas during testing of vote-counting machines (VCMs) in Mindanao.

In a phone interview with GMA News Online, Bautista said that no such incidents occurred during the testing in Lanao del Sur and Mati City in Davao Oriental on Thursday.

"I have already checked with the provincial election supervisor of Lanao del Sur, as well as Mati City, and no such activity happened... mayroong testing doon, but there is no report on that," Bautista said.

Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, a staunch Duterte supporter who has been actively campaigning for the mayor, made the allegation on Thursday in his social media accounts.

"In Lanao sur 1st district. During final testing of pcos machines the votes for Duterte is credited to Roxas by the PCOS. Same in Mati city," he posted in his Facebook and Twitter account.

It is not the first time that rumors of this kind has surfaced in social media.

But Bautista said that these rumors, as well as the photos and videos used to support them, are easily fabricated.

"As you know, nangyayari rin ito abroad, pero walang evidence...Yung receipt, pwede i-Photoshop. It's easy to manufacture,"  he said.

He encouraged voters who witness any anomalies in the voting process to file formal complaints.

"This is a serious allegation. I hope they formally file an objection," Bautista said. —JST, GMA News