ILOILO City – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has commenced the simultaneous nationwide Automated Counting Machine (ACM) Roadshow and Voter Education campaign, including activities in Western Visayas, to familiarize registered voters with the voting machines for the upcoming May 12, 2025 midterm national and local elections.
This initiative aim to address lingering questions and ensure Ilonggos understand the voting process, even after multiple automated elections since 2010, said Comelec Region 6 director Atty. Dennis Ausan.
The kick-off event was held on Monday morning, December 2, at the Iloilo City National High School Library in Molo district. Also present was Iloilo City Election Officer Atty. Pinky Tentativa.
Barangay officials, registered voters, and stakeholders from barangays Katilingban, San Antonio, Poblacion, and North San Jose participated in the morning session, while representatives from barangays North Avanceña, San Pedro, and Tap-oc attended in the afternoon.
Participants engaged in mock voting, which included shading ballots, using secrecy folders, and feeding ballots into the ACM.
“Despite having conducted automated elections several times, many still have questions. This roadshow provides a hands-on experience to demonstrate how the vote counting machines will work on election day,” Ausan said.
The ACM Roadshow in Region 6 will run until January 30, 2025, covering all barangays. Afterward, the ACMs will be returned to Comelec’s central office for reconfiguration in preparation for election day.
A total of 102 ACMs have been deployed across Panay and Guimaras islands for demonstration. Each city and municipality received one machine, with an additional unit allocated for the Comelec Regional Office 6 to conduct its own roadshow.
Ausan said Comelec is open to recommendations and suggestions from stakeholders during the roadshow, with the goal of enhancing the voting process.
“We are listening to feedback to make the election process smoother and faster,” he said.
Ausan described the new vote counting machines as tamper-proof.
“We’ve incorporated many enhancements into these machines,” Ausan said. “While the basic voting process — shading the ballot and feeding it into the machine — remains the same, the improvements in transparency warrant this extensive roadshow.”
One key enhancement includes a larger screen display, allowing voters to see their ballot as it is fed into the machine. If a voter selects fewer candidates than allowed — such as only voting for 10 senators instead of 12 — the machine can prompt them to retrieve the ballot. However, any marks cannot be altered once submitted.
Another significant improvement is the generation of receipts that can be scanned via QR code, providing watchers with a direct view of the voter’s selections, ensuring the receipt aligns with the actual ballot cast.
“This feature enhances transparency, allowing watchers and party representatives to confirm that the ballot’s content matches the receipt,” Ausan explained.
The schedule for the Iloilo City ACM Roadshow and demonstration activities is as follows:
* December 2, Iloilo City National High School Library – Morning: barangays Katilingban, San Antonio, Poblacion, and North San Jose; Afternoon: barangays North Avancena, San Pedro, and Tap-oc
* December 3 (same venue) – Morning: barangays Infante, Cochero, and North Baluarte; Afternoon: barangays South Baluarte, Kasing-kasing, East Baluarte, Salvacion Habog-habog, and West Habog-habog
* December 4, City Mall Parola – Morning: barangays Arsenal Aduana, Concepcion Montes, General Hughes, Legaspi Dela Rama, Maria Clara, and Ortiz
* December 5 (same venue) – Morning: barangays Monica Blumentritt, Muelle Loney, Santo Rosario Duran, Veterans Village, and Zamora Melliza
* December 6 (Molo Boulevard Gymnasium) – Morning: Barangay Boulevard; (Afternoon): Barangay San Juan (San Juan Gymnasium)
* December 7, Iloilo City National High School Library – Morning: barangays Taal, East Timawa, and West Timawa; Afternoon: barangays North Fundidor, Compania, South Fundidor, and South San Jose (Arroyo Elementary School)
For the 2025 elections, Iloilo City has 332,008 registered voters, 1,993 established precincts, 417 clustered precincts, and 66 voting centers./PN
