Polls Close as Some Counting Machines Malfunction

Voting officially ended late Monday, marred with long lines and malfunctioning counting machines as the world now closely watches who between Bongbong Marcos and Leni Robredo will lead the country out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Polling precincts closed at exactly 7 p.m. on Monday, but people within 30 meters would still be allowed to vote even after the 13-hour voting period. Some 67.5 million Filipinos are registered to take part in this year's polls, the majority of whom are young people.

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Glitches on vote counting machines and election-related violence hampered the elections in some areas, with netizens airing their concerns on social media about the Commission on Election's contingency measure to leave the ballots until the machine issues had been fixed.

The Comelec said that as of 7 p.m., a total of 533 VCMs malfunctioned, according to multiple reports.

The poll body maintained that the ballots that had been left with the electoral boards were safe and being closely monitored by poll watchers.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines also reported at least 15 election-related violence including explosions and shooting incidents.

Comelec chairman Saidamen Pangarungan, however, believes that this year's elections is relatively peaceful than that the previous polls in 2019.

The poll body earlier said initial tallies could come out within a few hours after the polls close, with the results of some local elections becoming official even before the day ends.

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Marcos is hoping to translate his majority lead in pre-election surveys into an actual win, while Robredo is banking on the mammoth crowds that turned up for her rallies at the homestretch of the campaign.

Regardless of the outcome, Filipinos could still see themselves fighting over politics in the days or months to come, a political analyst said.

"What is clear is that this elections has clearly shown how politically divided the people are and that’s not going away anytime soon," University of Sto. Tomas political science professor Dennis Coronacion told reportr.

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This year's elections proved to be a bitterly fought one, with independent fact-checking initiative Tsek.PH showing Marcos as the primary beneficiary of misinformation online with Robredo as the "biggest victim."

"It would be helpful if the president-elect, whoever he or she may be, would immediately take control of the situation by sending a message that the bickering and fighting has to stop," Coronacion said.

"There’s a need to show the public that whoever the president-elect is, he or she is a leader for all and not just his or her supporters kasi the Filipinos have decided with the elections," he added.

Apart from the position of president, the elections will also decide one vice president, 12 senators, over 300 members of the House of Representatives, and some 18,000 local positions.

From: Reportr World