DASMARIÑAS, Cavite — Hundreds of voters here complained to the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) that they could not find their names in the voters list even if they have been active voters.

The incident happened hours before the opening of precincts at Paliparan 3 Elementary School in this city.

Paliparan 3 Elementary School is one of the pilot areas for automated elections for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

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Voters said they were puzzled that their names were missing even if they had voted in previous elections.

Some said they found names of dead relatives in the lists.

"Four thirty a.m. pa kami. Hanggang ngayon ayun ang manugang ko nakapila para magtanong bakit wala ang pangalan namin doon, kailangan namin bomoto tapos wala ang aming pangalan, paano kami makaboto?" said Alejandra Yanag.

(We have been here since 4:30 a.m. and until now, my in-law is still in line to ask why our names are not on the list. How will we vote?)

“Kapag ganitong botohan ayusin nila yung mga pangalan para lahat maisasali sa pagboto," said Rebecca Ranuco, another voter.

(They should fix these lists so everybody can vote.)

“Nag-ikot na ako simula sa A hanggang letter E, wala talaga. Tuwing botohan naboto ako hindi ako na-absent ngayon lang po nangyari na wala ang aking pangalan," Wilma Ramos said.

(I have voted at every election. This is the first time that my name is not on the list)

PPCRV: Lists came from Comelec

PPCRV volunteer Karlo Rufin said they themselves do not know what to do because their list is based solely on information provided by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“Nagbigay ang Comelec ng precinct finder ang lumalabas naman ay 'no record found'," he said.

"Yung mga kamag-anak nilang patay yung nasa listahan pa pero sila na boboto, wala na po."

(They don't have records in the precinct finder. Their dead relatives are in the list but the voters are not.)

Double registration?

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that the names of those not on the voters' list may have been deactivated due to double or multiple registration.

“Hindi lang siguro hinahanap nang mabuti. Di po ba pag-double or multiple, tatanggalin at tatanggalin natin? So, maaari po na isa sa kanila ang natanggal dahil nagpalipat sila ng registration," said Garcia during his visit to Paliparan 3 Elementary School.

(Maybe they didn't search thoroughly. Don't we remove double or multiple registrations? So, some of the entries may have been removed when they transferred registration.)

"Hindi nila kinancel yung registration sa dating pinagpaparehistrohan nila therefore kapag vinerify ng ating makina, yan dalawa ang makikita na fingerprint," he added.

(They did not cancel their previous registration, so when the machine verifies it, there will be two sets of fingerprints.)

Because many could not find their names, many also decided to just go home without voting.

PROBLEMS with VCMs

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Aside from the issue of missing names, Paliparan 3 Elementary School also experienced vote-counting machine (VCM) malfunctions, such as paper jams and overheating.

The Comelec chief said they expected these problems because the VCMs are already quite old.

Garcia added that the teachers already know what to do.

But at Precinct 357, a ballot was torn after being ejected by the VCM.

The ballot reportedly could not be read, so it was inserted in the machine again. On the second attempt, the ballot was torn when it was ejected again.

Precinct 357 chairman Evelyn Suarez said VCMs with persistent problems could be replaced, but that decision will be made by the Department of Education supervisor.

Garcia said the VCM issues will be recorded and the voter would be given another ballot.

Paliparan 3 in Dasmariñas City, Cavite has 38,174 registered voters with 65 clustered precincts.

— Dennis Datu, ABS-CBN News

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