Probe on faulty election materials ongoing – Comelec

MANILA, Philippines – The investigation on the possible liability of the suppliers of faulty election materials is ongoing, Commission on Election (Comelec) Spokesperson James Jimenez said on Wednesday.

“On going pa kasi yung ating forensic investigation diyan so hindi ko pa masasagot, but I expect that sa mga darating na  Congressional hearing, baka maging issue yan,” Jimenez said in a news briefing when asked for an update on the liability of vote counting machine (VCM) and SD card providers.

961 VCMs and 1,253 SD cards as well as numerous marking pens malfunctioned during the midterm elections last May 13.

READ: 961 VCMs, 1,665 SD cards suffer glitches in 2019 polls — Comelec
Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas earlier said that the SD cards provider, Silicon Valley, and marking pens provider Triplex Corporation may be penalized if found guilty of violating terms of their contracts with the government.

READ: Comelec eyes penalties vs suppliers of faulty VCMs, SD cards, pens

Jimenez said deleting the suppliers from the, list of bidders for the 2022 presidential election may hinge on the findings of the investigation.

Despite the number of glitches encountered during the elections, a survey conducted by Pulse Asia showed that 91 percent of Filipinos still favor automated elections.  /gsg

READ: Pulse: 9 out of 10 Filipinos want automated voting in future elections