E-PALARONG PAMBANSA displayed a poll where they asked the gaming community on which games they wish to be featured.
The results of the poll saw League of Legends dominate the voting, despite Mobile Legends: Bang Bang having the massive fanbase in the Philippines. Heck even PUBG: Mobile gained the edge over the popular mobile MOBA.
It may seem like the results were rigged and the recent statement from the project organizers revealed that it was definitely the case.
"The E-Palarong Pambansa Committee has decided to CANCEL the ongoing voting poll for the upcoming national esports tournament as of today, April 6th due to unforseen circumstances." said the public statement.
"Despite the considerable efforts received from various gaming communities, the widespread use of bots in voting has become unmanageable, which we did not anticipate."
"We take full responsibility for this issue and are committed to providing a fair and successful tournament for all participants of the first ever E-Palarong Pambansa. We deeply appreciate your understanding and continued support for this project."
"We will work closely and tirelessly to create a better system for the voting poll to ensure fairness in the future tournaments. Thank you for your cooperation and patience during this challenging time."
Results of the investigation
In one of the comments, the organizers revealed their findings in the investigations. Apparently, a plethora of bot accounts from other regions invaded the polls.
"Our investigation into the sudden spike in the number of votes for both PUBG and PUBGM determined that the majority of these votes were made by Vietnamese bot accounts."
While the Facebook page revealed their purpose in the scene, due to this incident they've decided to close the polls.
"We used this model of voting to gain traction and engagement on a new page and a new event that was started from the ground up by fellow Esports enthusiasts who wanted to create sustainable opportunities for Filipinos passionate about the Esports industry."
"We wanted to ensure that the voice of the Filipino gamers was heard loud and clear. However, we take the integrity of our voting system very seriously. As such, we have taken this difficult step."
"We've also decided to end the voting system instead of singling out particular games because the chances of using illicitly automated bots might increase after this incident."
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