Comelec to pilot Viber transmission of election results in Batanes

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will pilot test the transmission of election results through messaging platform Viber during the 28 November special congressional election in Batanes to speed up vote canvassing and proclamation.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the initiative would allow boards of canvassers to transmit election results electronically during manual elections, subject to the consent of candidates, their lawyers and other concerned parties.

“Meron kaming bagong innovation na gagawin. Ang pilot test namin dito,” Garcia said.

Under the proposed procedure, canvassing officials may send election results through Viber instead of waiting for the physical delivery of election documents from remote municipalities.

“Iviviber mo ‘yung result with the consent of the parties and the candidates and the lawyers,” Garcia explained.

Garcia said the commission hopes to proclaim the winning candidate on election night, although the manual counting process could still take longer in some precincts.

He stressed that physical copies of election documents, including certificates of votes and statements of votes by precinct, would still be delivered for subsequent verification.

To support the pilot test, Comelec plans to deploy Starlink satellite internet kits to Batanes during the first week of November.

The equipment is intended to provide connectivity in isolated areas where conventional communication services may be unreliable.

Batanes has 13,138 registered voters spread across municipalities on several islands, including Itbayat and Sabtang.

Garcia noted that rough sea conditions often prevent vessels from leaving these islands after 2 p.m., delaying the transport of election documents.

Because the special election will use manual voting and counting, the commission expects physical transmission of results to take additional time.

Garcia cited Comelec's constitutional authority to issue rules and guidelines to ensure honest, orderly, peaceful and transparent elections.

He said faster transmission could also reduce uncertainty surrounding closely contested races.

“Naniniwala tayo na habang tumatagal ang results, tumatagal ang pagpoproklama natin, lalong nagkakaroon ng question, isyu, lalo pa sa highly contested na posisyon,” Garcia said.

If the Batanes pilot proves successful, Comelec may adopt Viber-based transmission in future manual elections and plebiscites.

The special election was called following the death of Batanes Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. on 21 September.

Four candidates are vying for the vacant congressional seat: former Batanes Gov. Marilou Cayco; Luis Andres Abad, son of former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and the late former Batanes Rep. Henedina Razon-Abad; retired government employee John Gato; and retired soldier Edward Ike De Sagon.