Confident that today’s signing of P7.2 billion contract for automation of the May 10, 2010 polls will push through, Commission on Elections Chairman Jose A. R. Melo cited on Thursday the advantages of automated system over the manual system, among which are less human intervention, fast and accurate ounting and canvassing of votes, minimized risk for public school teachers who will serve as members of the boards of election inspectors, and availability of results in all levels within 36 hours.

Melo, who has been authorized by the Comelec en banc to sign the contract with the consortium of Smartmatic International and Total Information Management (TIM), expressed confidence that the coming 2010 elections will be breaking all sorts of records and will be defying all of gloomy predictions about the continuing vibrancy and viability of the country’s electoral process.

“We will see an electoral exercise unprecedented in the rapidity with which our people will know who the winners will be,” Melo said, adding that the Comelec adopted adequate safeguards to make sure Smartmatic/TIM will faithfully comply with the contract.

He said precinct level counting will be done within an hour, and results available within thirty-six, such that teachers serving on the BEIs will not have to stay up – and stay under tremendous pressure – as long as they used to, thereby minimizing the risk to them.