Provincial Election Supervisor, Fernando Becino has refused to acknowledge receipt of the official box containing election paraphernalia intended for the Provincial Board of Canvassers from the Smartmatic Supervisor here after discovering that the said box has been opened with its seal broken in violation of Comelec guidelines. “The integrity of the kit box has been violated”, Becino said.
In an emergency meeting called by Becino at 2:30pm today at the Capitol Session Hall attended by the concerned Smartmatic technicians, members of the Board of Election Inspectors, provincial candidates and lawyers, a certain Karen Semilla admitted having opened the kit box when it arrived on May 3.
Semilla, a locally hired Smartmatic technician, said she was ordered to receive the sealed box by a certain Jason from the same contracting company last May 3 but she went ahead to open it upon receipt. Breaking the plastic cover and opening the box she had in mind to check the items inside that included electronic gadgets and election paraphernalia, she said. She also claimed that the laptop unit inside was also not sealed in any manner.
Her admission was met with anger and strong opposition by all those present leaving the Comelec supervisor with no recourse but to ask the Smartmatic supervisor present, Marcelino Becina, to arrange for immediate replacement of the election kit box.
Meanwhile, as of this writing all PCOS machines have been delivered to all six municipal treasurers in Marinduque. Comelec provincial office is now awaiting the arrival of the reconfigured compact flashcards for distribution. The faulty memory cards have taken the country by storm in recent days.
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