Six of ten voters do not know how to vote

By Mar T. Supnad

VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur -- A top Commission on Election official said said six of 10 voters nationwide do not actually know how to vote on the automated machine come local and national polls.

Lawyer Marino Salas, Provincial Comelec Supervisor, said that based on the survey they conducted, majority of registered voters still lack knowledge on how to vote on the state-of-the art voting machines that was manufactured by the Smartmatic.

Salas also appealed to voters to prepare a codigo or list of their preferred candidates whom they are going to votes due to the big number of candidates, including party list members.

He said it takes at least three minutes for a voter to accomplish the election form, saying it is better to be ready before going to poll precints by preparing the candidates’ names of their prepared list.

In the case of Ilocos Sur, “Maraming hindi nakakaalam dahil sa communication.” s.

Ilocos Sur has 11 mountainous municipalities that some of them cannot be contacted by cellular phone due to the remoteness of the towns.

He also belied fear that the automated polls can be easily hacked by jammers, saying it takes time for them to do so, if they can really do it which is impossible.

“The machine will do everything thru electronic transmission and in 24 hours the result of the local position can be known,” pointed out Salas.

But the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines has expressed apprehension that cellphone jammers are really a threat to the elections.