Comelec execs to be asked about poll readiness
THE HOUSE of Representatives will soon summon the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for updates on their preparations for next year’s presidential polls after a recent Supreme Court (SC) decision nullified a repair contract for 82,000 automated ballot counting machines.
The House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms would again move to invite Comelec officials to check the steps they are taking to address the high court’s April 21 decision which junked the P240-million diagnostics and repair deal with Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp. (Smartmatic-TIM) for the precinct count optical scan ( PCOS) machines bought by government in 2012, its chairman Rep. Fredenil H. Castro (Capiz, 2nd district) said.
The refurbishment deal was secured via negotiated procurement, which was signed by outgoing Comelec Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes, Jr. on Jan. 30 for 82,000 PCOS machines in light of the upcoming May 2016 presidential elections.
The high court voted to nullify the deal in a unanimous decision, saying the poll body failed to justify its decision to resort to direct contracting without fulfilling the requirements under the government’s procurement law.
Under the Government Procurement Reform Law, all purchases and service contracts entered into by the Comelec or any public office must go through public bidding unless specific conditions render it impractical to do so.
In justifying the direct contracting done for the refurbishment deal, Mr. Brillantes earlier cited time constraints and the Smartmatic-TIM’s “extended warranty offer” for the PCOS machines which they earlier leased and eventually sold to the Comelec in 2012 amid protests from several watchdog groups.
Mr. Castro said that while he is of the same view as the Supreme Court, he believes the Comelec can still find a way to get Smartmatic-TIM to do the PCOS machine repairs with the “proper procedure.”
“We ( the committee) do not want it either because indirect contracting would give the supplier and Comelec the discretion to decide whether to strictly follow the approved budget (for the contract),” Mr. Castro said in an interview on the sidelines of an elections forum in Quezon City last week. “So now, my plan for the committee is again to call ( Comelec) to let them explain that in our committee hearing.”
“They may again resort to direct contracting, provided that they follow the admonition of the Supreme Court which says that there has to be procedure.”
Congress resumes sessions today, May 4. The SC decision came in the middle of the Legislative’s six-week break.
Asked when the committee will schedule its next probe, Mr. Castro said it would be within the first two weeks of the month, citing the urgency of the concern.
Meanwhile, poll watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) named four other concerns apart from the PCOS repair deal that could “go wrong” in next year’s presidential elections if not addressed by authorities at once. —