Thousands of teachers in Negros Oriental have started training on the use of the automated counting machines (ACM) before they can be certified by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for election duties.

The two-day training, which started on Monday in batches, is held in this capital city, Mabinay town, and Guihulngan City.

Lawyer Eddie Aba, the provincial election supervisor of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Oriental, on Tuesday said the training will “ensure that the teachers are familiar with the use of the ACMs to avoid problems” during the May 12 midterm elections.

The first day of training will focus on the ACM and its features while the second day is dedicated to the DOST certification examinations, Aba told the Philippine News Agency.

Only the chairperson and the poll clerk in the three-member electoral board assigned at each precinct are required to undergo training and secure a certification.

Aba said in the event one of them fails the examinations, at least one certified teacher at every voting precinct is enough.

“We can also get a certified teacher from another precinct when the chairperson and the poll clerk are not certified,” he said.

The Comelec earlier said around 9,000 teachers of the Department of Education in the Negros Island Region will serve in the May 12 elections.

Meanwhile, Aba said he has authorized the Negros Oriental II Electric Cooperative (NORECO II) to take down illegal campaign posters that are posted on electric poles.

He lamented that national and local candidates are continuously ignoring the law on the illegal display of campaign materials, a violation that can lead to perpetual disqualification from public office if a candidate is charged and found guilty by the court. (PNA)