Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential aspirant Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. Tuesday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to prepare a contingency plan in the event that the remaining Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines are not delivered in time for the May 10 elections that may trigger major complications in the vote counting process.

Teodoro’s camp said it would be wise for the Comelec to draw up an emergency back up plans in case the suppliers of the PCOS machines fail to deliver the vote counting units before the February deadline.

“It would reassure everyone if the poll body can draw up contingency or back-up measures that eliminate the risk stemming from the non-delivery of the remaining 78,200 machines by the February deadline,” said Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, spokesperson for Teodoro.

The camp of Teodoro also expressed apprehension over the Comelec’s capability to launch an effective information campaign for the country’s 49.3 million registered voters to educate them on how to use the new electronic voting system, the first on the country’s long political history.

Only 4,000 of the 82,200 PCOS machines that will be used in the May elections arrived by ship in Manila last week, triggering doubts among various sectors if Smartmatic-TIM, the supplier of the machines, can deliver the remaining units by February.

Magsaysay said the first bulk delivery showed the Comelec is committed to having automated elections in May.

Magsaysay, however, asked the Comelec to reveal if there is sufficient time to train operators of the PCOS machines and instruct the Filipino electorate on the use of the machine so as not to spoil their ballots.

“The Comelec should be forthright on whether it is still possible to have full automation or, because of time constraint, just selected automation,” Magsaysay said, echoing Teodoro’s earlier call.

She said that if the Comelec could conduct only partial automation owing to constraint on the delivery of the machines from China, it must reveal to the public the areas where partial automation would be implemented.

Teodoro earlier urged that the Comelec leadership be “more forthright” with Filipinos on the question of whether it is has the time and capability to implement computerized elections in May.