The Commission on Elections-Cordillera has assured remedies are available for areas in the region without Internet connectivity in relation to the May 9 elections.
Comelec-Cordillera Director Ederlino Tabilas said they will install a broadband global area network (BGAN) in polling centers without Internet connectivity.
The Police Regional Office-Cordillera earlier identified 268 polling precincts without Internet connection based on the previous elections.
The PRO-Cor list showed 526 polling precincts with weak or unstable Internet signal. Tabilas said the Comelec will validate the precincts listed by the PRO-Cor to evaluate strength of Internet signal in these areas so that they can implement adjustments.
He said there are areas that have Internet connectivity, but the signal is weak and can be remedied by looking for spots that can be tapped to enhance connectivity while some have no signal at all.
He said the result of their validation will be submitted to the Comelec central office as basis on whether or not a polling center will be installed with BGAN or to allow the transport of the election returns to a nearby precinct with Internet connectivity.
Reliable Internet connectivity is essential in the conduct of the May 9 polls as this is needed in the transmission of election results from the polling precincts.
Aside from the areas that have concerns with Internet connectivity, the PRO-Cor also listed places with concerns on accessibility.
In the previous polls, the police listed 158 precincts in Cordillera that can only be accessed by foot, seven places accessible by boat, and 38 accessible by motorcycle.
In the 2019 elections, there were 6,586 established precincts and 1,861 clustered precincts in the Cordillera.
There are 1,077,900 voters in the region for the May 9 polls. – Jane B. Cadalig
April 20, 2024
