No vital files and documents of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) were lost in the fire that hit the 7th floor of the poll body’s offices at the Palacio del Gobernador building in Intramuros, Manila last Sunday night.
This was the assurance made by Comelec spokesperson Jon Rex Laudiangco, who said that “all Comelec servers and vaults located at the IT department, including all equipment and documents in all offices and departments at the main office, are safe, intact, undamaged and secure.”
Data on voters’ registration and backup records are also intact and unaffected, said Laudiangco.
The Comelec is leasing a number of floors in the Palacio del Gobernador building as its offices. The fire torched the reception area of the IT department, but other offices in the 7th floor were unharmed, according to Laudiangco.
Alert security and maintenance personnel were able to call for help immediately; eight fire trucks rushed to the scene to help put out the fire.
The Bureau of Fire Protection said the fire, which started at 6:53 pm on Sunday at the IT lobby, went up to second alarm before it was declared under control at 8:16 pm. Arson investigators are conducting a probe into the cause of the fire.