Comelec says Tawi-Tawi’s transmission test successful

MANILA: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported that the transmission test conducted Friday in two municipalities of Tawi-Tawi was successful. Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC) and Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETS) projects were demonstrated during the Voter Education Seminar in Bongao and Siminul in preparation for the 2025 midterm elections and Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections. In a news release, the poll body said the Election Results (ERs) and Logs from the island municipalities of Simunul and Bongao in Tawi-Tawi were successfully transmitted to the consolidated canvassing system (CCS) and servers. Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia and senior officials led the seminar with an automated counting machine (ACM) demonstration participated in by registered voters. 'During the pilot test transmission, both ACMs in Simunul and Bongao successfully transmitted the ERs and Logs to the Simunul CCS (8:51 AM) and Bongao CCS (11:22 AM), as well as to the following six (6) servers which were stationed at the Comelec Main Office, Intramuros, Manila,' the Comelec said. From the Municipal Board of Canvassers, the results were transmitted to the central server, dominant minority party, dominant majority party, media server, citizens' arm server 1 (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting) and citizens' arm server 2 (National Movement for Free Elections). The testing was part of the massive information campaign for the voters to get familiar with new technologies. The joint venture, led by Korean firm Miru Systems, won the FASTrAC project which includes the provision of 110,000 ACM units along with peripherals, consumables, and technical support for the May 2025 polls. In the previous five elections, the Comelec used an automated election system provided by Smartmatic International. Source: Philippines News Agency