Commission on Elections-Cebu supervisor Jerome Brillantes. (File photo)
CEBU CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Cebu province on Tuesday assured that the malfunctioned vote counting machines (VCM) in the northern city of Bogo will be fixed to complete the canvassing of ballots.
Comelec-Cebu supervisor lawyer Jerome Brillantes declared a recess as of 11 a.m. and said the Board of Canvassers (BOC) would resume its duties soon as the concerns on downed VCMs are addressed.
“The two malfunctioned VCMs have been under repair at the Comelec repair hub, and are on their way back to Bogo City,” Brillantes said.
The chair of the BOC said they expected the results to be fully transmitted either late afternoon of Tuesday or in the evening.
Based on partial, unofficial results as of 2:47 p.m. on Tuesday from 99.94 percent of election returns, incumbent Governor Gwendolyn Garcia won reelection with a whooping margin against her rival, former Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.
Garcia garnered 1,477,450 votes as against Durano’s 341,365 votes.
However, incumbent Vice Governor Hilario Davide III, Durano’s running mate, won reelection with 787,349 votes against Garcia’s tandem, Dr. Ma. Theresa Heyrosa.
According to Comelec records, of the 51 localities in the province, only six which are from the cities of Bogo, Toledo, Danao, and Sta. Fe, Malabuyoc, and Tabuelan towns, have yet to fully transmit results.
These localities are experiencing logistical and technical difficulties in transmitting election results due to downed VCMs. (PNA)
