Smartmatic: PH holds record for largest deployment of counting machines

The Philippines now holds the record for having the largest manufacturing and deployment of vote counting (VCM) machines in the whole world, Smartmatic Philippines said on Monday.

“I can’t tell you how proud and fulfilled I feel now knowing that I’ve been part of such an amazing and historic accomplishment,” said Project Director Marlon Garcia in a memo circulated to employees and technicians of Smartmatic.

He cited the configuration of almost 100,000 VCM machines in just over 1 month; the recruitment, hiring and training of more than 45,000 field technicians in less than 3 months; setting up of a call center with more than 700 operators in 1 month; setting up of the most complex telecommunications infrastructure for the private election network integrating all the telecommunication companies in the Philippines, and foreign satellite providers in less than 3 months.

Garcia added that Smartmatic also managed to print 56,000,000 ballots in just 49 days in spite of many hindrances such as adverse rulings from the Supreme Court.

It noted that a foreign observer from Indonesia has said that they may follow the example of the Philippines in conducting
elections.

“I’m here to see how people cast their voting (sic), and how they use automation of election in a very good manner here…. I can tell our people if Philippines can do automation in elections, why notIndonesia?” Dr. Abdul Aziz Ahmad, a former elections commissioner in
Indonesia, said.