NAGA CITY, Cebu – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Provincial Office has transmitted the first automated election returns to Comelec’s Central Office in Manila during last Wednesday’s successful automated elections field testing.

Comelec Provincial Election Supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano admitted he was nervous during the entire field test considering that the sample precincts were located in an area that has low telecommunications signal. Castillano was more than relieved when he was able to successfully transmit the results to Comelec Manila.

“I was very happy that the field testing turned out successful,” Castillano told Manila Bulletin yesterday. He said that there was a slight problem with the transmission result from some barangays but this was remedied immediately.

Two barangays in Naga City in southern Cebu were among the various areas where the field tests were conducted nationwide. The two barangays were especially picked because they have low to no-mobile phone signals.

Aside from Cebu province, field tests last Wednesday were also conducted between 7 a.m. to 12 noon on in 10 polling precincts and nine canvassing centers in Benguet, South Cotabato, Pateros, and Taguig.

In the field test, 40 ballots were filled up in each of the two barangays to simulate the polls. After these were filled out, the ballots were fed into the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine and the results were immediately transmitted to the Municipal Board of Canvassers stationed at the city hall of Naga.

From the city hall, the results were later transmitted to the Provincial Board of Canvassers stationed at the Capitol social hall manned by Castillano himself. After Castillano received the results from the City of Naga, these were transmitted to Comelec’s Manila office.

Castillano said they encountered a minor problem after Comelec personnel in Barangay Bairan noticed the lack of signal, but they were finally able to transmit the results through the Global Area Broadband network.

He said the personnel, stationed in every barangay and municipality, are aware that transmission is through modem for areas with signal and through Broadband Global Area Network for areas without signal.

With the successful field testing, Castillano said his office will recommend to Comelec head office for another field testing to be conducted in the island municipalities of the province.

On February 6, the Comelec in Cebu will conduct the first mock election that will check the preparedness of the election office, the police, and the voting public in the automated election.