SENATOR Imee Marcos on Monday confirmed that the Commission on Elections is considering turning over to the Department of Education or the Professional Regulation Commission its aging precinct count optical scan machines and vote counting machines used in five national elections.

During the deliberations on the proposed 2024 budget of the poll body, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III asked about the machines still in the possession of Comelec but are not used for elections because these are outdated.

“Unusable for our elections. Baka, could these be usable for other agencies or governments?” Pimentel asked.

Marcos, who is the sponsor of Comelec’s proposed 2024 budget, reported that the poll body is currently in possession of 80,000 PCOS machines and 97,000 VCMs stored at their warehouse in Laguna.

“There is a suggestion that DepEd or PRC take them over for checking all of the exams and other applications in both agencies. So, that’s in discussion,” Marcos said.

She said Comelec had spent P19.7 billion for the PCOS and VCMs since these were procured in 2010 up to 2022.

“P7 billion in 2010, ‘yung naka-allot. In 2016, P10.9 billion. Nung 2019, P1.2 billion. 2022, P600 million. Patong-patong na rin ang gastos diyan,” Marcos added.

Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia earlier said those machines can no longer be used and he invited agencies to check whether they can make use of them.