(The Commission on Elections led by Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Fernando Cot-om (2nd rightmost) and Assistant Regional Election Director Atty. Elmo Duque (rightmost), pose for posterity after commending national government agencies and local government units for the successful conduct of the 2019 midterm elections. Pampanga Provincial Information Office)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) cited the invaluable efforts of different government agencies and local government units in Pampanga during the conduct of the 2019 National and Local Elections on May 13.
Comelec Pampanga Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Fernando Cot-om said during the post-election exit conference that elections in the province was generally successful.
“Despite the technical glitches we encountered, the overall conduct of the midterm elections was a success. This is attributed to the continuous monitoring and coordination of the different government agencies,” Cot-om said.
He also mentioned possible resolutions about the late and staggered delivery of vote counting machines (VCMs) and election paraphernalia during the recent elections, which may be applied to the 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections and 2022 National and Local elections.
It can be recalled that a total of 75 Secure Digital cards were found defective, while 96 VCMs malfunctioned on Election Day.
“We will submit our post-election assessment report along with your suggestions to the central office so that problems like these will be avoided in the next election,” Cot-om said.
For her part, Pampanga Police Provincial Office Director Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said there were no serious election-related incidents recorded except for the vote buying and selling incident in Sto. Tomas town.
She also reported that authorities were able to seize 126 assorted firearms from Comelec checkpoints and related operations in the province.
“Close coordination of agencies involved contributed to the success of our operations. Early preparation and deployment of officials were also contributing factors,” Fajardo said.
Officials of each town were also given certificates of commendation for their contribution in the successful conduct of the May 13 elections. — PIA 3
