32 malfunctioning vote-counting machines replaced in Central Luzon
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(Illustration by Ed Lustan / Inquirer.net)
CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — Thirty two automated counting machines (ACMs) which malfunctioned across Central Luzon on Monday morning were immediately replaced by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), according to Police Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, director of the Central Luzon police.
The machine glitches occurred in Pampanga (16), Bulacan (6), Tarlac (4), Zambales (3), Bataan (2), and Aurora (1), Fajardo said during a 2 p.m. media briefing at the Regional Media Action Center in Camp Olivas, where election developments in the region are being closely monitored.
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Vote buying reports
Fajardo also confirmed that authorities are looking into 35 reports of alleged vote-buying that surfaced on social media.
No arrests, however, have so far been made.
Liquor ban, other incidents
Meanwhile, 33 individuals were arrested for violating the liquor ban. Twenty one were arrested in Pampanga, 10 in Nueva Ecija, and two in Tarlac.
In Limay, Bataan, police responded to an incident involving three armed men who allegedly entered a village looking for a certain Estrella and her money.
One of the suspects was reportedly linked to a political candidate, although further investigation is ongoing.
While no major election-related violence has so far been recorded, Fajardo said police across the region have been instructed to maintain a heightened security posture.
Over 5,000 police officers were deployed to secure 2,863 polling centers throughout Central Luzon.
Fajardo also reported that no untoward incidents have been recorded in the 16 areas of election concern identified within the region.
