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Comelec must award election machine contract by March 'at all cost': Garcia

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Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Registered voters of Barangay 659 cast their ballots at a mall in Manila as one of the mall voting pilot testing areas during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on Oct. 30, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2024/life/01/08/20231030-bske-mall-voting-manila-md2.jpg"/><figcaption>Registered voters of Barangay 659 cast their ballots at a mall in Manila as one of the mall voting pilot testing areas during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on Oct. 30, 2023. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File </em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) must pick its elections machines contractor by end of March this year, chairman George Garcia said Wednesday, citing the yearlong preparation needed for the 2025 midterm polls.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/14/23/lone-bidder-for-2025-automated-polls-ineligible-comelec">Lone bidder for 2025 automated polls &#x27;ineligible&#x27;: Comelec</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Ang critical at crucial sa amin sa Comelec ay katapusan ng Marso. Dapat nakapag-award na kami at all cost ng katapusan ng Marso,&quot; Garcia said in an interview on Teleradyo Serbisyo.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2924862" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Miru Systems Co., Ltd. is the lone bidder for the P18.827-billion contract for the 2025 automated election system, a deal previously held by Smartmatic.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/30/23/smartmatic-calls-disqualification-against-them-unfair">Smartmatic calls disqualification against them in future elections &#x27;unfair&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>The Comelec in November last year disqualified Smartmatic from joining all its procurement for future elections, citing its alleged involvement in the bribery case against former Comelec chair Juan Andres Bautista.</p><p>Aside from the lease of the Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC), the contractor for the 2025 polls must supply automated counting machines, ballots, canvassing and other materials that will be used for voting.</p><p>Garcia said the March deadline is &quot;critical&quot; in order to recalibrate the new machines to be used in the May 2025 elections.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/15/22/comelec-official-suggests-retiring-vcms-used-in-halalan-2022">Good to retire VCMs used in Halalan 2022, says Comelec commissioner</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Critical &#x27;yan dahil hindi lang basta kinukumpuni yung 110,000 [machines] anim na buwan po yan base sa karanasan ng Comelec. So 6 na buwan na iko-custimize yung mga makina pagkatapos ay meron pang international certification na ilang buwan din, meron pang source code review, meron pang end-to-end testing,&quot; Garcia said.</p><p>&quot;Kaya itong taon na ito critical po ito para sa preparation namin sa May 2025 elections,&quot; he added.</p><p>Garcia also clarified that Miru, a Korean-led joint venture, has yet to bag the contract but they are now in the &quot;second phase&quot; of the bidding process.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/08/24/korean-firm-is-lone-bidder-again-for-2025-election-contract">Korean firm is lone bidder again for 2025 election contract</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Wala pang ina-award ang Comelec, hindi pa sila sigurado na sila ang makakakuha sapagkat nasa post-qualification pa tayo,&quot; he said.</p><p>If Comelec finds Miru ineligible after a thorough review, the poll body has the option to enter into a negotiated procurement to fast track the deal.</p><p>&quot;Sabi sa batas kapag sa second round ay failure of bidding pa rin, magkakaroon na ng negotiated procurement, ibig sabihin puwede na kami makipag-negotiate sa kung sino man ang qualified at puwede,&quot; Garcia said.</p>

Comelec chair George Garcia said the March deadline is 'critical' in order to recalibrate the new machines to be used in the May 2025 elections.

Comelec must award election machine contract by March 'at all cost': Garcia

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Comelec must award election machine contract by March 'at all cost': Garcia

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 10, 2024 12:13 PM PHT

|

Updated January 10, 2024 12:21 PM PHT

Read More:

Comele

Commission on Elections

halalan

2025 elections

halalan 2025

George Garcia

Miru

Smartmatic

election

ANC

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