Machine malfunction incidents spoil election day

Vote Counting Machines or VCMs in some areas marred the early casting of votes by registered voters during election day.

93,000 VCMs were deployed by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in precincts around the country.

Eagle Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) Correspondent Jeffrey Datuin reported the malfunction of VCM in  Lapu-lapu Elementary School in Tondo.

“May mga machine po na nasira dito sa Sapang Maragul Elementary School, Tarlac City. Ang ginawa po nila pinaboto po yung mga tao at sinabi na sila na lang ang magpapasok sa mga machine,” voter Aleli Gonzales said.

Reporting from San Macro Natividad, Pangasinan, Mardy Malagday said that some vote machines malfunctioned there and it took COMELEC officers to fix them in 15 minutes.

Mam Reluya documented a replacement of their VCM machine at JRMSU, Katipunan, Zamboanga del Norte.

“May isang machine na po sa precint 500 ang hindi gumagana simula po kaninang umaga dito po sa Brgy. Mayamot, Antipolo, Rizal,” Jessie Buenavidez reported.

In Payatas Elementary School, Bea Rubia said that they had to wait for three hours in the long line due to the malfunctioning machine.

In Tagumpay Elementary School, EBC cameraman Ronald Narciso documented the VCM malfunction which took almost three and a half hours to be replaced.