(JOEY A. GABIETA)
TACLOBAN CITY – House Speaker Martin Romualdez experienced a brief delay at his polling precinct on Monday, May 12, after the automated counting machine (ACM) initially failed to accept his ballot.
Romualdez, who is seeking his third and final term as representative of Leyte’s 1st congressional district, arrived at the V and G Dela Cruz Memorial School shortly after 1 p.m. and proceeded to his assigned precinct.
However, his ballot was rejected three times by the ACM before it was finally accepted.
In an ambush interview after the successful vote casting, Romualdez said the glitch may have been caused by dirt on the machine’s scanner.
“After three tries, it went through. They said the scanner was dirty,” he explained.
Romualdez, who is running unopposed, also urged voters to participate in the elections.
“Exercise your civic duty. Go out and vote — and vote wisely,” he said.
Before Romualdez casted his vote, his wife, Rep. Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, and their children, Martin, Jr., and Julian Andrew, also cast their votes in the same polling precinct.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
