The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will evaluate accusations against South Korean firm Miru Systems Company Limited during the post-qualification process of the bidding for the procurement of the new automated election system (AES) for the 2025 national and local elections.
Comelec chairman George Garcia said Sunday in an interview over radio dzBB that they will not automatically grant Miru the award even if it is the lone bidder for the procurement project.
Miru would undergo a post-qualification evaluation, which will prompt the Comelec Special Bids and Awards Committee’s evaluation of the technical requirements set for the 2025 AES, as well as verification of all documents the joint venture led by Miru has submitted to the poll body.
“Through this we would know if the documents were fake or if Miru is really capable of making machines. We will determine all that, especially the accusations and allegations that are circulating in social media,” Garcia said.
“It’s good to inquire about all of that because if we can prove that Miru is lying, then they can be disqualified and therefore, we will declare a failure of bidding,” he added.
Last December, election watchdog Democracy Watch Philippines expressed “deep concern” over the participation of Miru in the 2025 poll system procurement.
It cited the company’s recent “catastrophic failures” and “questioned” projects in Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Democracy Watch urged the Comelec to review Miru’s track record and to only consider vendors that “demonstrably uphold the values of a secure, transparent, and genuinely credible Philippine election.”
Should there be a failure of bidding, Garcia said the Comelec will be forced to do a negotiated procurement.
“It means we can choose among those possible bidders that exist. They may not have completed the documents, but they may be qualified or provide us with good service,” he added.
Miru was earlier deemed eligible to proceed with the bidding process for the 2025 poll system procurement after it complied with all the legal and financial requirements for the project.