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Ni ROMEO ALLAN BUTUYAN II
HINIMOK ni Cagayan de Oro 2nd Dist. Rep. Rufus Rodriguez ang Commission on Election (Comelec) na ikonsidera ang alok ng Smartmatic Philippines na gamitin ang kanilang mahigit sa 90,000 vote-counting machines (VCMs) sa pagdaraos ng 2025 midterm elections.
Ayon kay Rodriguez, pormal na lumiham ang Smartmatic sa Comelec para ipabatid ang kahandaan nilang tumupad sa kasunduang pirmado ng magkabilang panig.
“Based on the Smartmatic letter, 93,977 precinct based Optical Mark Readers (OMR), and their accompanying Election Management System (EMS) are still covered by the warranty which extended to three subsequent national and local elections after the 2016 polls,” paglalahad ng Mindanaoan solon.
“Comelec still owns the Automated Election System (AES) software for EMS, the vote counting system, consolidated canvassing system (CCS) or the overall system used in the 2025 elections, which the body procured for Php 402.73 million in 2021. Hence, there is no compelling need to purchase new machines for the 2025 elections,” giit ng kongresista.
Matatandaan na iginawad ng Comelec ang kontrata sa South Korean company Miru Systems Co. Ltd. para sa pagkolekta ng datos at pagbibilang ng mga boto sa idaraos na halalan sa susunod na taon.
“On the other hand, the Comelec had disqualified Smartmatic, which oversaw credible automated elections in the country from 2010 to 2022. But last month, the Supreme Court nullified the said Comelec resolution, citing grave abuse of discretion by the poll body,” dugtong ni Rodriguez.
“The procurement of the Comelec’s new supplier has been plagued by a flurry of issues, including concerns on Miru’s questionable global reputation and incompetence in handling elections in many countries,” dagdag pa niya.
Para sa naturang kongresista, mas praktikal na tanggapin ang alok ng Smartmatic sa gitna ng mabigat na hamon sa pagpapaunlad ng ekonomiya, pagbabayad ng dambuhalang utang ng gobyerno at mataas na budget deficit.
“The Comelec should highly consider the savings to be derived from utilizing existing VCMs,” ayon sa ranking House member.
“The Comelec should act prudently and be practical in its approach. Unfortunately, the only alternative it presented is its contract with Miru, which will cost the government P17 billion, notwithstanding the company’s checkered record based on recent elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Iraq,” hirit pa niya.
“Why should we place our election integrity at risk and the country at a financial disadvantage when tried and tested VCMs are already in the Comelec’s custody?”
