MANILA— Poor internet connection and bad weather were some of the minor glitches that the Commission on Elections experienced during its mock polls in dozens of voting centers across the country, an election official said Thursday.

While the mock elections went "very well" with a high turnout of volunteer voters, the poll body experienced "some difficulty," Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said.

"We did experience some difficulty when it came to some ballots in some places, especially in places where there had been heavy rainfall and some weather condition that basically affected the thickness of the ballots," Jimenez told ANC's Rundown.

"Apart from that, we have problems with electronic transmission because some places really had a very difficult time connecting to the transmission system," he added.

Jimenez noted these issues were resolved immediately.

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On Wednesday, some 34 voting centers in 7 regions participated in the mock elections that opened at 7 a.m. to accommodate volunteer voters who want to get a sense of how to cast their votes come May 9, 2022 amid strict health protocols.

The Comelec ended the nationwide mock elections at 5 p.m. after which a simulated canvassing of votes was held at the Cuneta Astrodome to declare the "winners."

For an election watchdog, there were "points for improvement" in the implementation of health protocols and the electoral process.

"There were few venues that doesn't have enough staffing, particularly for the IPP (isolation polling place) and triage. That is really a point for improvement," lawyer Helen Graido, policy consultant of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections.

Under guidelines for the 2022 elections, voters must go through Comelec's health screening such as temperature scanning to ensure they were not exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. This is part of protocol as the elections will be held under the continuing threat of the coronavirus.

Those manifesting signs of the respiratory disease will be held briefly at the IPP, where a second health scanning will be done. If symptoms persist, a voter will cast his or her vote at the IPP as they are not allowed to personally feed the ballot in the vote counting machine.

Graido also observed that the 3-room setup—holding area, voting area and a third room where ballots are fed to the VCM—could be "risky" for vote-buying.

"We've always noted that it could be a very risky setup because voters would be coming in and out of rooms with their ballots on hand," she said. "So, if it's exposed it could be a good opportunity for vote-buying or for sacrificing ballot secrecy."

Jimenez said these were valid observations and assured the public that loitering in polling precincts will be strictly prohibited.

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