11 April 2016 – The final testing and sealing (FTS) of COMELEC vote counting machines (VCMs) for the 2016 Philippine National Elections was held at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy in Washington on April 06.

Consul Katrina Borja-Martin led the FTS along with Embassy personnel who took their oaths as Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) and Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG) last March 23.

The FTS checks the security and accuracy of the VCMs using test ballots, which are fed to the machines. It also checks if the count of the machines will match the manual counting done after the actual voting.

The Embassy tested three VCMs during the FTS, using 10 test ballots each for the 47 precincts under the Post’s jurisdiction.

“The machines are in good condition, but it is very important that the voters follow the instructions about shading the ovals that correspond to the respective candidates whom they want to vote for, to ensure that their votes will be read and counted by the VCMs,” Consul Borja-Martin said.

“The ovals have to be fully-shaded in black ink, no check or cross marks. The votes cast should also not exceed the number of vacancies,” the Consul re-iterated.

The FTS is the last preparatory step for the Overseas Voting that started on April 09, and will run throughMay 09. END