No VCMs found in Smartmatic's hotel rooms in Cubao —Comelec chief

Comelec chief, other reps: No VCMs found in rooms opened at Novotel. pic.twitter.com/F4dT2WPoLT

— R-A. Dioquino (@AicaDioquino) May 9, 2016

Officials of the Commission on Elections, Smartmatic, and watchdog groups did not find vote counting machines at the hotel rooms in Cubao where personnel of the automation service were billeted.

"Wala naman kaming nakitang mga VCM sa mga kuwarto," said Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista after the inspection on Monday.

"Hindi lang 'yung mga kuwarto ng Smartmatic, kundi 'yung mga katabing kuwarto," he added.

With the inspection done, Bautista said he expects the issue to be over.

"Siguro we could all move on," he said.

Watchdog organizations earlier said it had received reports that vote counting machines (VCMs) were found at the hotel, which is located at the Araneta Center owned by the family of Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.

Bautista said they opened six rooms at the fifth floor and two more at the seventh floor, where the VCMs were allegedly stored.

Smartmatic personnel had been staying at the hotel for the past two days, according to Bautista.

The poll chief checked the rooms accompanied by Smartmatic official Elly Moreno, and representatives from the PPCRV, Kontra Daya, LP, and PDP-Laban inspected the rooms.

In a statement, Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez, spokesperson for the LP-led coalition, said “there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that there are VCMs in Novotel.”

“First of all, the COMELEC has fully accounted for all VCMs, each of which has a unique ID that allows the COMELEC to know where it is. This means it is impossible for anyone to misplace these machines,” Gutierrez said.

“Secondly, the basis of the statement of Henrietta de Villa of the PPCRV is mere rumor, completely bereft of basis and substance. We also question the timing of this statement, releasing it exactly on Election Day and not earlier,” he added.

At the PPCRV's command center, De Villa confirmed that there had been no "hanky panky" at the Novotel Hotel.

"It seems at the end of it all, what was uncovered was that occupants of the rooms identified in the report to us were billeted or occupied by Smartmatic," said De Villa.

De Villa said Bautista had already spoken with Smartmatic and that he was informed the firm's personnel were billeted at the hotel because of its proximity to the foreign firm's command center.

"They also called me and there were no VCMs in the rooms identified. They only took that hotel because it is closest to their command center," said De Villa.

The PPCRV chair said the coordinator that they had sent ro inspect the hotel were "satisfied" that there were no VCMs in the hotel.

Meanwhile, Gutierrez said the LP finds it odd that a lawyer of PDP-Laban, chaired by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, was at the Novotel, amid rumors on the supposed VCMs being stored there.

“Lumalabas dito eh ika nga nila, na-kuryente ang PPCRV dito, ‘yan ang conclusion ni Chairman Bautista. Ang tangi lang hindi tumatanggap ay yung taga PDP-Laban,” he told reporters in a media briefing.

Gutierrez said the PPCRV merely received a tip from an anonymous text sender, who claimed to be an employee of Novotel.

He also warned Duterte’s supporters who are spreading the misinformation on social media that doing so is an election offense.

“For a group that keeps on saying na panalo kami, bakit sila ang nangunugna sa paggawa ng kwento na magkakaroon ng dayaan? Hindi namin alam sino behind this pero sino ang agressive sa pagtutulak ng issue sa social media?”

“Maraming supporters [si Duterte] who are vocal, insisting na sumugod sa Novotel na pigilan ang pandaraya,” Gutierrez added.

He said the incident should serve as a lesson to netizens. —Mark Merueñas and Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/JST/KBK/ALG, GMA News