Thousands of Automated Counting Machines (ACM) arrived in Pangasinan early morning on Monday, April 28, for the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.

Container vans carrying the machines reached Dagupan City at around 2 a.m. By 7 a.m., the machines were unloaded and placed inside a designated hub.

A total of 2,869 ACMs will be used across Pangasinan, with an additional 491 machines set aside as backups.

“For delivery sa respective offices of Election Officers. Then, pagdating sa Election Officer, siya naman magdi-deliver sa voting centers,” Atty. Ericson Oganiza, Pangasinan Provincial Election Supervisor, said.

The Dagupan hub will supply ACMs for the 4th, 5th, and 6th districts of Pangasinan.

Meanwhile, another hub in Alaminos will handle the machines for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd districts.

Along with the ACMs, 49 Consolidated Canvassing System (CCS) kits also arrived to help canvass the election results.

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) assured the public they are securing the machines before they are deployed to towns and cities ahead of the Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) scheduled for May 6.

Local Absentee Voting (LAV) also started at the Pangasinan Provincial COMELEC Office on the same day. As of 11 a.m., 11 individuals had already cast their votes.

On April 29, absentee voting will move to the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office to accommodate uniformed personnel.

“From April 28 to April 30. So, yung kampo ng PNP, may botohan,” Atty. Reddy Balarbar, Acting Regional Election Director of COMELEC-Region 1, said.