Sotto wants Smartmatic scrapped; Pimentel calls for probe 

Smartmatic vote counting machines. INQUIRER.NET / RAFFY LERMA

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III wants to stop the use of Smartmatic in Philippine elections as reelectionist Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III sought a congressional probe on vote counting machine (VCM) glitches.

Smartmatic is the Venezuela-based company that supplied the VCMs for the May 13 midterm elections and three previous automated polling.

“It’s about time we stop using Smartmatic,” Sotto said in a text message to reporters after a number of VCMs nationwide malfunctioned on Monday, Election Day.

Pimentel, chair of the Senate committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation, called for an investigation into the numerous VCM glitches that delayed voting in many precincts nationwide.

“Glitches are enough to call for a congressional investigation. Why are we still having all these glitches? Can’t Comelec anticipate them?” he told reporters in a Viber message.

On Monday, more than 60 million registered Filipino voters trooped to polling precincts nationwide to cast their votes to elect 18,072 government officials. (Editor: Cenon B. Bibe Jr.)