Smartmatic hits back at foes

PCOS machine. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Election technology provider Smartmatic on Tuesday accused its competitors and advocates of the old manual voting system as those behind the move to discredit and have the company blacklisted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“Some of them selfishly want to offer their own technology. The problem is they have not shown anything that is beyond PowerPoint slides. Some other bidders prefer that Smartmatic do not compete that is why these groups are collaborating against us,” Smartmatic Philippines president Cesar Flores told a press conference.

Flores’ statement came amid the successive filing of petitions before the Supreme Court seeking to stop the public bidding of the Comelec and the move to blacklist Smartmatic to prevent the company from joining the bidding for the automated election system (AES) to be used in the 2016 polls.

Last week, lawyer Homobono Adaza asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order against the holding of public bidding for the 2016 AES until the issues against Smartmatic’s participation in the 2010 and 2013 polls have been addressed.

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