Majority of the respondents of the radio survey over DYRD-Inyong Alagad yesterday still believe the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) is still the most credible way to count the votes over the manual count.

This is amid the controversy hounding the Commission on Elections (Comelec) over alleged manipulation of the transmission of PCOS data in the 2010 elections.

Most of the reactions from DYRD listeners had it that cheating candidates will have a hard time replacing the results with their own data, because the technical team of the Comelec has been kept abreast of the technology to bar any hacker.

Many also believed Comelec would be closely watching the movements of the data from the precincts.

Only few of the radio survey respondents had expressed that the manual voting will ensure protection of the ballots.

There was a suggestion that Comelec should provide receipts to voters, but it came with hesitation because it might be used as proof of compliance of those who had sold their votes to some politicians.

For his part, Provincial Election Supervisor Eliseo Labaria cited that in the results transmitted by the PCOS machines matched with the manual count of the ballots during the random post-election confirmation tests conducted.

Labaria said they conducted the matching tests after the 2010 and 2013 elections in a number of areas to determine the accuracy of the PCOS machines and the Comelec got positive results.

In all the areas where they matched the PCOS results and the manual count afterwards, it showed accuracy of the data transmitted by the PCOS machines.

On this, Labaria assured that the PCOS machines can effectively protect the ballots from cheating.

On the other hand, Labaria also explained that identifying Election Watchlist Areas (EWAs) is based on the history of stiff political rivalry, violence, indication of vulnerability to violence, or possible entry of goons in an area.

Initially considered in EWAS are the towns of Buenavista, Ubay, Inabanga, Cortes, Danao and Antequera.

The police, however, explained that assessment on the situations in these areas is ongoing if they have to be confirmed as EWAs in reference to the upcoming elections in May.

Meanwhile, Labaria said there has been no report of any violation of the election gun ban since its implementation on January 10.

However, both the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army units stationed in Bohol remained on alert for any changes on the trend when local campaign period starts in March.

Police Provincial Director Dennis Agustin already started working on the peace covenant to signed by candidates in the towns to get the politicians’ commitment to clean and orderly election in May.

Moreover, additional army troops from Negros Occidental have been deployed here since fortnight ago to augment the local forces who will be securing the province during the election period, including the implementation of the election gun ban until June 8.