Mel Tiangco trends on Twitter due to dismay over VCM malfunctions

Veteran GMA News journalist and anchor Mel Tiangco became a trending topic on Twitter on Monday as viewers felt her frustration with the malfunctioning of aging vote-counting machines and other mishaps on election day, leading to long lines of voters at precincts nationwide.

"Kanina pang umaga, VCM na nang VCM, nang VCM, nang VCM, nang VCM ang mga problema," she said to GMA News' Tina Panganiban-Perez, who was reporting from Comelec headquarters, where the poll body had convened as the National Board of Canvassers.

(Since this morning, it's been VCM, VCM, VCM, VCM that's been the problem.)

"[B]ago tayo mag-eleksyon, eh nagkaroon yan ng malawakang pag-eksamen diyan sa bawat VCM na iyan para maiwasan precisely itong mga ganitong mga kaganapan para sa ikagaganda ng ating pagtingin o pagtiwala sa nagaganap na botohan," she said.

"Ano daw ba ang kinulang at bakit hindi nakamit iyon?" she added.

(Before the elections, there was a widespread examination of each VCM to avoid precisely these kinds of issues, so we can have a good view of and trust in our voting. What was lacking that this was not achieved?)

In response, Panganiban-Perez said that the Comelec had clarified that the final testing and sealing of machines is not an assurance that they would not malfunction.

"Siyempre ang pagte-test at seal hindi guarantee na hindi papalpak o magkakaroon ng problema kahit po bagong sasakyan na kapag kukuhanin mo na tiyaka mo makikita kung may sira e yun pa kayang matanda nang machine," Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said in a separate interview with Vicky Morales on 24 Oras.

(Of course the testing and sealing do not guarantee that there won't be a failure or problems. When you buy a new vehicle and you see it can have malfunctions, then more so with old machines.)

"Oo nga, pero why are they saying that only now? Bakit hindi nila sinabi noon? [Yes, but why are they saying that only now? Why didn't they say it then?" Tiangco said.

Issues that have arisen during the conduct of Eleksyon 2022 include election-related violence and the malfunctioning of aging VCMs that has led in some instances to ballots not being fed into the machines in a timely manner.

As of posting, Bongbong Marcos leads the presidential race according to the partial and unofficial count. — BM, GMA News