Teachers assigned as Electoral Board members took part in the final sealing and testing of the automated counting machines (ACMs) that will be used for the upcoming elections.

They checked if the machines were set up properly to avoid problems on election day.

“Nag-train naman kami kung paano i-operate ‘yung ACM natin, hoping, hoping na maging maayos ang eleksyon sa May 12,” Jona Lopez, Chairperson of the Electoral Board, said.

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in Dagupan also joined the activity.

According to Dagupan Election Officer Atty. Michael Franks Sarmiento, the testing was important to confirm if the machines are working, complete, and most of all — counting votes correctly.

“Ang purpose is to check kung kumpleto ang makina, gumagana ba at ang pinaka-importante kung tama ang pagbibilang nito ng boto,” Sarmiento said.

In a demonstration, voters were shown how to cast their ballots: receive a ballot from the Electoral Board, shade the names of 12 senators, one governor, vice governor, congressman, mayor, vice mayor, and at least 10 councilors. Then, they feed it into the ACM and wait for the receipt to confirm their votes were counted.

The COMELEC and teachers declared the final testing a success in all voting centers across Dagupan City.