Comelec, bidders called to hearing

Capiz Representative Fredenil Castro. Photo from https://www.congress.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines–The House committee on suffrage and electoral reform has summoned to a public hearing the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the main bidders for additional polling equipment to assess preparations for the 2016 elections.

Committee chair Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro said the hearing would address concerns raised against Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM) Corp. and Indra Sistemas SA which joined the Dec. 4 bidding for the lease of 23,000 precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines using the optical mark reader (OMR) technology.

The new PCOS machines would augment the 82,000 units the Comelec has in it warehouse.

“Those found questionable, doubtful and suspicious should be disqualified outright. The evaluation and selection process should not be left to the Comelec alone but the competence, integrity and expert opinion on technology, administration and other related matters should be respected,” Castro said.

Both Smartmatic and Indra have exchanged charges questioning each other’s capacity and eligibility to provide election machines to the Comelec.

On one hand, Indra said Smartmatic had no legal basis to join the bidding because its articles of incorporation limited its scope to the 2010 elections.

On the other hand, Smartmatic claimed that Indra was barred from taking part in the bidding because the Spanish firm was bidding directly and not through a local representative.–Gil Cabacungan