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Election volunteers told to prepare for May brownouts


A poll watchdog group has asked volunteer watchers to bring flashlights to their areas of duty on May 10 amid fears of a brownout striking on election day. The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) also joined calls for government officials to put in writing their assurances that brownouts will not disrupt the presidential polls. "Our advice to our poll watchers was to bring flashlights or candles to poll centers. But flashlights are preferable since candles may trigger fires," PPCRV Chairman Henrietta de Villa told dzXL radio in Filipino on Wednesday. Fears of the election being disrupted arose anew this week amid reports of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines having low electric power reserves. But Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal reassured voters that local government officials had assured them of making generator sets available in case of brownouts. "We spoke with the League of Governors last year. They are willing to provide generator sets at canvassing places if needed," Larrazabal said in a separate interview on dzXL radio. De Villa said it was important for stakeholders in the country's first automated national elections to be prepared. This is despite Comelec claims that precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines have batteries that can last for 16 hours. "The best preparation is for polling centers to have provisions for manual counting, especially in hot spots. A brownout is something we should prepare for regardless of whether the election is automated or manual," de Villa said. She also called on the Comelec and other stakeholders to put in writing their assurances that brownouts will not disrupt the automated elections. She noted that the automated election law requires a continuity or fallback plan. Meanwhile, de Villa admitted they were running out of time to prepare for the elections due to delays on the Comelec's part, adding that their schedule is too tight for a voters' education campaign. Power outage Parts of Metro Manila and the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) region experienced rotating brownouts on January 25. The entire Luzon grid was placed under red alert by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) after one of their Sual units encountered generation insufficiency shortly after noon on Monday. The brownout affected several villages in the cities of Parañaque, Pasig, Muntinlupa, Manila and Makati, as well as Cainta, San Mateo and Rodriguez in Rizal province. The area of Pateros in Taguig was also affected, as well as portions of Marikina, Malabon, Valenzuela and Navotas. Power distributor Manila Electric Co. earlier said the power outage would likewise affect the towns of Lucena, Tayabas, and Pagbilao in Quezon; Calamba in Laguna; Dasmaiñas and General Mariano Alvarez in Cavite; and Obando in Bulacan. — NPA, GMANews.TV

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