Comelec renews offer to donate old voting machines

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has offered to donate the old Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) and Vote Counting Machines (VCM) units used in previous elections and are now gathering dust in its warehouse.

The poll body is set to use new Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) in the coming May 2025 polls.

In a recent media briefing, Comelec chairman George Garcia said it is renewing its offer to the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to take custody of the voting machines.

“The Comelec is very much willing to donate all of the 80,000 PCOS and 97,000 VCM machines to the DepEd or even to the PRC,” said Garcia.

“We are reiterating our offer, especially since the offer was made to the previous (DepEd) Secretary. We would like to make the same offer to the new DepEd secretary,” he added.

The poll chief noted how DepEd personnel have previously inspected the PCOS and VCM units and were impressed by their current conditions.

“They were so impressed with their conditions… on how the Comelec is able to maintain their good conditions, at least the basic features of the machines,” said Garcia.

Garcia said the Comelec will greatly benefit if the older voting machines will be taken in by the DepEd or the PRC because “they occupy a large space and we pay a lot for warehousing, and yet the Comelec isn’t able to use them.”

The PCOS machines were first introduced in the Philippines during the May 2010 national and local elections when the Comelec leased them from Smartmatic-TIM.

Subsequently, the Commission purchased the PCOS machines and used it in the May 2013 midterm polls.

Prior to the May 2016 presidential elections, the Comelec decided to lease the newer VCMs, also from Smartmatic.

The Comelec eventually purchased and used the VCMs in the May 2019 polls and again in the May 2022 elections.