Machines put to the test Senior citizens were among the early birds in mock elections held yesterday all over the country, including in Manila, Quezon City and Taguig. BOB DUNGO JR. ">Machines put to the test Senior citizens were among the early birds in mock elections held yesterday all over the country, including in Manila, Quezon City and Taguig. BOB DUNGO JR.

A total of 60 people had been nabbed thus far for violation of the election gun ban in Metro Manila alone, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) reported yesterday.

The election gun ban took effect last Sunday with the Philippine National Police (PNP) joining forces with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure minimal violence during the campaign and election period.

“The total thus far is 60 arrested for violating the gun ban and for carrying deadly weapons,” NCRPO chief Director Guillermo Eleazar said in a radio interview.

“We have confiscated 54 firearms, two hand grenades, assorted deadly weapons and ammo,” Eleazar said, adding they’ve already conducted 1,091 checkpoint operations in Metro Manila since 13 January.

The election will be held in 13 May but the election period and gun ban will be terminated on 12 June.

Meanwhile, the Comelec held yesterday a mock election in 26 areas across 60 precincts all over the country to test the readiness of its personnel and system for the actual voting in May.

In Metro Manila, mock elections were held in Quezon City (1st at 2nd district), Manila (5th district), Pasig (2nd district), Taguig, Pateros, Valenzuela City (1st district) and Muntinlupa City.

The Comelec said it would pilot test a new system that would verify a voter’s identity based on a finger scan to be undertaken using voter registration verification machines (VRVM).

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that if the name of a voter does not turn up via the VRVM’s auto search, a manual search will be undertaken by polling officials.

If a manual search still fails to find the name of a purported voter, the voter would be asked to leave the polling precinct.

“This is to ensure that those who have the right to vote will not be disenfranchised just because the new system fails during the pilot testing,” Jimenez said in a mix of Filipino and English.

In Quezon City, the mock election was held in Barangay Bahay Toro with 1,000 registered voters invited to participate. The voting started at 6 a.m. and was scheduled to last until 6 p.m.

A 57-year-old voter, Rebecca Buena, was verified by the VRVM system immediately after she placed her thumb on the machine’s scanner. She was given her ballot and she proceeded to vote.

Still, the VRVM was unable to print out the receipt of her voter’s registration due to connection problem with the receipt printer.

Buena praised the new gadget as very helpful in speeding up the voting process, saying she had never missed an election and is looking forward to voting in May.

In what showed the enthusiasm of voters, persons with disabilities and senior citizens were among the early voters at the Toro Hills School.

Choices for senatorial, partylist and local posts from representative to city council members were listed in the mock ballots, although the names were those of celebrities and sports icons like Kobe Bryant.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and Kontra Daya were represented in the mock elections.