DepEd union calls for removal of Smartmatic from PH elections process

Members of the DepEd Teachers Union hold a press conference Thursday morning. Screengrab from the group’s Facebook video

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education Teachers Union (DTU) on Thursday called the government for the removal of the voting machine provider Smartmatic to ensure fair elections in the Philippines, citing past voting incidents from the provider.

The teachers group urged the government to ensure that election systems are “fully functional and secure.”

“The Union calls for the erasure of Smartmatic as the nation’s poll service provider, ensuring that teachers can carry out their election duties effectively and securely,” said DTU in a statement.

DTU recalled the mishaps public teachers encountered during the 2022 elections such as dysfunctional vote counting machines (VCMs) that caused delays among voters.

“Past experiences with Smartmatic’s VCMs have raised significant concerns, particularly during the 2022 elections where over 1,800 machines malfunctioned, affecting approximately 1.1 million voters. These issues not only caused delays but also undermined public confidence in the electoral process,” DTU added.

READ: Faulty VCMs: More than just a hiccup in 2022 polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced in May 2022 that the national and local elections in that year saw the fastest transmission of voting since the country shifted to automatic voting, despite reports of voters who waited for hours to cast their votes due to malfunctioning of the VCMs.

Smartmatic was Comelec’s former provider of vote-counting machines as the poll body disqualified the company from participating in the bidding for the 2025 midterm automated elections – “to preserve the integrity of the electoral process,” according to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia in November 2023.

Further, DTU said that the recent indictment of a U.S jury against former Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista and Smartmatic executives for bribery and money laundering in the 2016 elections casts doubts on their credibility and integrity as an election service provider for the country.

According to the U.S Justice Department, a certain Roger Martinez, a Venezuelan citizen and Florida resident who happened to be a co-founder of Smartmatic and Jorge Vasquez and others “caused at least $1 million in bribes to be paid to Bautista.

READ: Ex-Comelec chief Andy Bautista facing US bribery charges

DTU also underscored the role of the public school teachers in serving as election workers and upholding impartiality for democratic electoral process.

“DTU encourages all teachers, election workers, and the public to remain vigilant as the sanctity of our democratic process depends on each of us,” said DTU.