Reports of problems during the actual voting process came in as early as 5:30 a.m. Sources of reports are Task Force Poll Watch, Kontra Daya hotline reports, and observations from volunteers on the ground.
As of 7 p.m. on May 9, the general observations for reports coming in are:
- Numerous and nationwide incidence of VCM malfunction.
Majority of complaints received by Kontra Daya report incidents of vote counting machine (VCM) malfunctions in many areas around the country.
Reports of malfunctioning/non-functioning VCMs were reported across all 17 cities within the National Capital Region: Quezon City, Manila, Navotas, Makati, Paranaque, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Caloocan, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Malabon, Marikina, Taguig, San Juan, Valenzuela and Las Pinas. Common complaints were rejected ballots, paper jams, overheating and machine shutdowns.
In Araullo High School, Manila, for example, the voting process was delayed for 4.5 hours after the VCM failed to function, following failed diagnostic tests and jamming of ballots and thermal receipts. cluster precincts in Beata Elementary School, Manila, and Tambo Elementary School in Paranaque also reported temporary shutdowns due to malfunctioning VCMs.
Outside NCR, ongoing VCM malfunctions were already being directly reported across 24 provinces so far. These are:
- Luzon: Batangas, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Naga, La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Cagayan, Benguet, Ifugao, Abra, Ilocos Norte, Occidental Mindoro
- Visayas: Tacloban, Northern Samar, Cebu
- Mindanao: Davao Oriental, Surigao del Sur, Davao del Sur, Davao City,Compostela Valley, North Cotabato, Davao del Norte,
Across the nation were reports of how some VCMs broke down after overheating, as in the case of Bayanihan Elementary School in Matina, Davao and the towns of Solsona, Vintar, Batac, Pagudpod and Paoay in Ilocos Norte.
- VVPAT Discrepancies: failure to print/issue receipts and miscounting of votes.
Another cause for delays in voting are reports of the VCMs failure to print and issue receipts.
As of 5 pm, various reports reaching Kontra Daya have observed that VCMs have failed to print or issue receipts.
In NCR alone, incidents of VCM failure to print receipts have been reported across least seven cities. These are:
- Manila: Mariano Marcos High School, Arellano Elementary School, Araullo High School, Celedonio ES
- Quezon City: Batasan National High School, San Francisco Elementary School, Commonwealth HS;
- Paranaque National High School
- Pasig: San Lorenzo Ruiz Elementary School, San Lorenzo Ruiz Elementary School and Rosario Elementary School
- Mandaluyong: Brgy. Malamig
- Caloocan: CP130, Sta. Quiteria
- Navotas: San Jose, CP20
Outside NCR, reports came in from Pangasinan, Brgy. San Isidro Sur Binmaley.
Incidents of miscounted votes were also reported:
- For senators and partylists
- In Brgy. Bunugan, Baggao, Cagayan, Bayan Muna votes went to Anwaray.
- Reported at least three incidents where VCM did not recognize vote for Senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares (CP2383A, Albert ES, Manila and CP219, Tecson ES) in Manila, District 4. The report from Brgy. Manalo, Amulung, Cagayan states that a voter voted for Neri Colmenares but the receipt regstered Leila De Lima.
- Local officials
- Nasugbu Brgy Pantalan P 225A. Receipt did not reflct votes 4 local ofcials – Mayor, Vice M in 1 incident & counclrs n another.
- Marikina, NCR, Polling center H. Bautista CP 199 iba ang lumalabas n pngalan ng Mayor s naiboto nya.-5:06 pm.
- National officials
- Five separate incidents of voter voting for Duterte but VCM prints out Roxas on the receipt (reported in Burgos ES, Manila – District 4; P. Burgos Elementary School, Manila; CPS418, Brgy Sikatuna, QC-District 4; Prct 1760A, Brgy. B12, Caloocan; CP 243 in Tipas, Taguig)
- One incident of voter voting for Marcos but VCM receipt reads Honasan, in San Lorenzo, Bangui Ilocos Norte
Overvoting. In Bagong Ilog ES, Pasig, a voter voted for 12 senators but the receipt says “OVERVOTED.”
Voters names missing from record.; mismatched records. Four reports of voters names missing from the official record and precinct numbers not matching the actual precinct number, were recorded in Quezon City.
At least two precincts in Marikina and Quezon City were reported as having the names of deceased persons, some of whom were dead for two and nine years already, in their list of voters.
In a separate report, the BEI issued two ballots to a voter in Kabayanan Elementary School, San Juan while 12 ballots assigned to Bagong Nayon, Antipolo Rizal were delivered to Bagong Barrio Elementary School, Caloocan City.
- Undue delays in voting process.
The breakdown of the VCMs, coupled with undue delays in the replacement of machines and disenfranchisement of registered voters, has stalled the voting process for as long as two to five hours in some areas.
In Brgy. Kayrilao, Nasugbu, for instance, some precincts resorted to manual voting due to VCM breakdown and due to the absence of replacement machines as of 12 nn. In a precinct from Tuao, Cagayan, a VCM machine stopped functioning after processing the first 50 votes. Ground reports from Dontogan, Green Valley Baguio, observed the “total failure” of VCMs.
An earlier report said that the VCM in Vice-Presidential candidate Leni Robredo’s own poll precinct broke down and took almost 2 hours to replace. Some cluster precincts in Paranaque, Makati and Bulacan also experienced voting delays due to ballots being rejected by the VCMs.
There were recurrent reports of BEI officers asking voters leaving boxes open, or instructing voters to leave the unread ballots in their care while the VCM machines are being fixed.
- There were also reported incidents of black propaganda against certain party-list groups, vote buying, and harassment and violence. As of this writing, at least one person from Abra has been reported killed.
As of 5 p.m. Kontra Daya received reports of vote-buying in the following areas:
- Bagua, Cotabato City, amounting to P500 allegedly initiated by affiliates of the Liberal Party.
- Bislig, Surigao del Sur, amounting to P3,000 allegedly initiated by affiliates of the Liberal Party.
- San Francisco, Bulakan, Bulacan, amounting to P500
- Rajah Matanda St. Project 4 Quezon City, amounting to P200 reportedly given away by Daniel Dy
- Camalaniugan, Cagayan
- Iriga
- San Juan Elementary School, San Juan, vote buying allegedly by Guia Gomez’s Magdiwang
- La Paz, Abra, amounting to P2500 given to voters for the positions of Congressman, Governor and Mayor
Other monitored incidents involve election violence, harassment and/or militarisation. The presence of military personnel, armed soldiers or armed PNP elements inside poll precincts have been reported in the following areas:
- Assign Via, Taytay and Bunugan in Baggao, Cagayan
- Labac Elementary School in Naic, Cavite
- Barangay Silhagon, Mapanas and Barangay Cadian, Gamay, Northern Samar
- Wawa Elem School Brgy. Nasugbu, Batangas
- Kapitan Moy Elem School, Marikina
- San Lorenzo Ruiz Elementary School, Manggahan Pasig City
- Polling center of Bautista, Marikina
Abra remains a hotspot for election-related violence, after SB candidate Joel Donato was shot dead in an incident earlier this morning in Pang-ot, Lagayan and a certain Zacharias Manuel was shot dead in a brawl reportedly between affiliates of Mayor J. Luna and rival Crisologo. A hostage-taking incident transpired earlier this morning, according to other media reports, while another incident left Joel Donato and Vincent Viloria wounded at the Abra Provincial Hospital.
Another incident at Balling Elementary School in Buguey, Cagayan left two others dead as alleged goons of mayoralty candidate Antiporda fired upon vice-mayoralty candidate Umayao’s supporters.
- Other incidents reported.
Reports of illegal campaigning done by poll watchers and volunteers have also been received from the following areas:
- Baguio
- Del Carmen Elementary School in San Fernando, Pampanga (APPEND Partylist)
- City Central Elementary School in Tagbilaran, Bohol (Kalinga Partylist)
- Roces, QC and Parang Elementary School Cluster 357 (COMELEC watchers and poll watchers wearing yellow lanyards with ‘Daang Matuwid’)
- Pinyahan Elementary School, QC. Akbayan distributes sample ballots inside polling precinct of CP 1112
- Kapitan Moy Elementary School Marikina Hgts. Candidate running for councilor giving campaign mats inside vicinity of voting precincts.
- Brgy San Vicente, Jones, Isabela (CP 0090A, 0091A, 0091B, 0093A), where the Brgy. Chairman was reportedly shading a number of ballots