Miru Systems Vice President for Overseas Sales Ken Cho speaks to the media in an ambush interview at the Miru Office in Binondo, Manila on Thursday, September 12, 2024. (Photo by Arnel Tecson/INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Miru Systems, the automated election system provider for the 2025 midterm polls, has promised a glitch-free experience and assured everything has been automated and thoroughly checked, leading to the early delivery of more reliable automated counting machines (ACMs).
Miru Systems Vice President for Overseas Sales Ken Cho said this on Thursday when asked if they are confident in holding a “glitch-free” election next year.
“Yes…We have automated everything, we have checked everything. And therefore, we were able to deliver more reliable ACMs,” Cho said in an ambush interview.
READ: Comelec, Miru ink P17.99 B pact for automated 2025 polls
“Also when they arrive here, they go through another round of HAT (hardware acceptance tests) here and stress tests, so we’re very confident that we’re doing something good for the people of the Philippines,” Cho added.
Comelec began the HAT for the ACMs on Wednesday at the Comelec warehouse in Biñan, Laguna. According to Comelec Chairman George Garcia, 856 of the 27,500 machines in the country have already been checked.
Cho also noted that they are ahead of the delivery schedule of the ACMs. As part of its deal with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Miru Systems must ensure that the remaining machines from the total commitment of 111,000 ACMs are shipped to the country by December.
“We’re ahead of our schedule. We’re supposed to deliver the last shipment of ACMs by the end of December. Since we’re continuing the production of 110,000 ACMs by the end of October, I think the shipment will be by November,” he said.
READ: Comelec begins hardware acceptance tests for counting machines
When asked what their biggest challenge was between the election preparation and the controversies surrounding them, Cho said that controversies follow them anywhere they go.
“There are always controversies anywhere we go and we seriously have been portrayed by our competitors. But we have provided all the other evidence and the documents stated by the chairman of the Elections Commissions, the President, or the Prime Minister,” he noted.
Some of the issues raised against Miru include concerns about its performance during elections in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, South Korea, and Argentina, with instances of electoral fraud and cybersecurity vulnerabilities being cited.
In March, Comelec and Miru signed a P17.99 contract for the 2025 midterm elections. Miru was the sole bidder for the lease of a Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count to the poll body.