Comelec wants 2025 automated poll system contractor by March

 

MANILA, Philippines — The contractor for the 2025 automated election system must be picked by the end of March, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday.

Garcia also cited the year-long preparation needed for the elections.

“Ang critical at crucial sa amin sa Comelec ay katapusan ng Marso. Dapat nakapag-award na kami at all costs ng katapusan ng Marso,” he said over a Radyo 630 interview.

(The critical and crucial [time] for us in the Comelec is the end of March. We should have awarded (a contract) all costs by the end of March.)

“Critical ‘yan dahil hindi lang basta kinukumpuni yung 110,000 [machines], anim na buwan po yan base sa karanasan ng Comelec. So anim na buwan, iko-customize yung mga makina pagkatapos ay meron pang international certification na ilang buwan din, meron pang source code review, meron pang end-to-end testing,” he explained.

(It is critical because it’s not just a matter of repairing the 110,000 machines; that takes around six months, based on Comelec’s experience. So, the machines will be customized for six months, followed by international certification, which takes a few more months. There is also a source code review and end-to-end testing.)

On Monday, Miru Systems Co., Ltd was declared “eligible” by the technical working group of the Comelec-Special Bids and Awards Committee for the Lease of Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC) project for the 2025 midterm eletions.

The Korean-led joint venture, which is now in the second phase of the bidding process, was also the lone bidder for the P18.827 billion contract.

Aside from the lease of FASTrAC, the winning contractor would also supply automated counting machines, canvassing, ballots, and other materials that will be needed for the elections.

The contract was previously in the hands of Smartmatic, which was, however,  disqualified by Comelec to join any future election procurement due to its alleged involvement in the bribery case against former Comelec chief Andres Bautista.