2 firms win contracts to deliver voting machines, other poll gear

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Two freight and cargo forwarding firms have won the P1.4 billion contracts for the deployment of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) voting machines and other election paraphernalia in the May 13 elections.

Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the contracts were awarded to Air21 and the joint ventures 2Go Express and 2Go Logistics, whose combined bid amount was P800 million less than the P2.2 billion-approved budget for the contract.

Brillantes said Air21 will take care of the “deployment and reverse deployment” of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, the ballot papers and ballot boxes for Luzon, Mindanao and Metro Manila while 2Go will handle such tasks for Visayas.

“These firms won and their total bid amount for the entire country is P1.4 billion. So we are saving about P800 million,” he said.