The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday directed power producers and distributors to ensure stable and continuous supply to poll precincts during the election period, specifically from May 10 to 16, 2010, and authorized them to cut off supply to other sectors should the need arise.

Stressing that uninterrupted electricity is crucial to the conduct of free, honest, peaceful and credible elections next year, the poll body officially deputized the National Electrification Administration (NEA), National Power Corp. (NPC), and local electrification cooperatives, including their respective heads or chief operating officers (CEOs), for the 2010 elections.

The Comelec, led by Chairman Jose A.R. Melo, approved en banc Resolution No. 8715 directing the NEA, NPC and electric cooperatives to provide and maintain continuous power for use in the casting and counting of votes, transmission and consolidation of results, and proclamation of winning candidates in the country’s first nationwide automated elections.

The resolution authorizes the NEA, NPC and power cooperatives nationwide to shut off other users such as industries and large commercial establishments during the election period, or limit their usage to about 300 megawatts and to allocate power savings for distribution to critical election areas.

The resolution was signed by Melo and Commissioners Rene V. Sarmiento, Nicodemo T. Ferrer, Lucenito N. Tagle, Armando C. Velasco, Elias R. Yusoph, and Gregorio Y. Larrazabal.

The move, according to the Comelec, was necessary to secure voluntary load curtailment commitments from industries and large establishments so that the poll body would not have to exercise its power of unilaterally curtailing power supply to the said sectors.

This will also enable the NEA, NPC and electric cooperatives to give priority to the electrical power needs of ballot distribution and retrieval centers, voting, and counting places at the precinct level, and at the canvassing and transmission centers.

As Comelec deputies, NEA, the NPC and various electric cooperatives are authorized to adopt other measures that are necessary to accomplish peaceful, orderly, and credible elections next year.

Meanwhile, Melo said the Comelec will only penalize winning bidder Smartmatic-TIM should the consortium fail to complete the delivery by February of all the 82,200 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that will be used in next year’s automated polls.

“Kapag hindi niya nai-deliver yung commitment for the entire contract, that’s when you penalize. It’s not per delivery. They know they will be penalized if they fail to deliver,” the Comelec chairman said.

Based on the Comelec calendar, Smartmatic-TIM should complete the delivery of the 82,200 PCOS machines by February 28.