Comelec Schedules Second Bidding for 2025 Election Automation in Manila

MANILA: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has announced plans to hold a second bidding for the lease of the Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC) in preparation for the 2025 midterm elections.

According to Philippines News Agency, In a recent advisory, Comelec’s Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) extended invitations for the submission of bid documents by prospective bidders. The bidding is scheduled for Monday at 10:30 a.m. and will take place at the Convention Hall, Bureau of the Treasury, located on the 3rd Floor of the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila.

Apart from private companies, the event is expected to draw observers from various organizations, including the Commission on Audit (COA) Resident Auditor, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE), Democracy Watch, and Participate PH. The Comelec also announced that the media are invited to cover the event, with a livestream available on the official Comelec Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, Democracy Watch, an election watchdog, has urged Comelec to conduct a thorough background check on one of its bidders for the multi-billion project. The organization specifically pointed to South Korean firm Miru Systems Co. Ltd., expressing concerns over the company’s involvement in alleged polling issues in other countries.

The statement from Democracy Watch highlighted the need for Comelec to exercise due diligence, especially in scrutinizing Miru Systems Co. Ltd.’s track record. The watchdog suggested investigating the company’s purported links to controversies in Congo and Argentina, citing concerns about hacking vulnerabilities and vote manipulation. Democracy Watch emphasized the importance of such scrutiny to maintain the integrity of the 2025 elections and to prevent political instability caused by potential failures in counting machines.

This call for thorough vetting comes in the wake of the first bidding round for the PHP18.83 billion contract, which saw only Miru Systems Co. Ltd. as the participant. The failure of Miru’s technology in facilitating automated elections in at least three of the six nations it operated in, mainly due to voting machine issues, is a point of concern raised by Democracy Watch, an official observer to Comelec’s procurement process for the upcoming elections.