The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday said it will support a congressional probe into its P17.99-billion deal with Miru Systems following questions about the post-qualification assessment of the South Korean firm.
“We welcome any hearing to clarify the questions and issues. We will support such initiatives,” poll chairman George Garcia said.
Garcia said the Comelec conducted a thorough examination and observation before awarding the multibillion-peso contract for the automated election system (AES) for the 2025 national and local elections to Miru Systems.
The Comelec chief also said that a congressional investigation would not affect the poll body’s ongoing voter registration and the timeline for the 2025 National and local elections.
Garcia also said that Miru was able to secure a certification from the United Nations with regards to the elections held in Iraq, as well as the electoral commission of Congo.
The poll chief said he trusts the certifications that were issued, saying “we also got certifications from Russia and even in their own country in Korea and none of these issues were flagged.”
In December last year, election watchdog Democracy Watch had warned Comelec of Miru’s track record of failures in Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Supreme Court (SC) meanwhile dismissed a petition to compel the Comelec to issue implementing rules and regulations and to conduct mandatory public consultations on the selection of an election system to be used in national and local elections.
In an en banc decision penned by Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario, the SC ruled that the petition failed to support its claims that there were no IRRs for some of the safeguards in the conduct of automated elections under Republic Act no. 9369, the Election Automation Law of 2007.
The tribunal also said the petition suffered from procedural defects
like failure to submit proof of service, proper verification and
certification against forum shopping, and competent evidence on
identity of affiant in affidavit of service.
Dismissed was the petition filed by Kilusan ng Mamamayan Para sa Matuwid na Bayan (KMMB); KMMB’s member organizations Capitol Christian Leadership, Buklod Pamilya Incorporated, KMP Koalisyong Pangkaunlaran ng Mamamayan, KNK Anak Ng Diyos Kadugo Ni Kristo; Jose Lagunsad Gonzales, Vicente Alejo Macatangay Jr., Sharon Faith Samaco Paquiz, Nelson Java Celis, Melchor Gruela Magdamo, Rodrigo G. Cornejo, and Melanio Lazo Mauricio, Jr.
They asked the SC to compel Comelec to issue IRRs and conduct public consultations on the proper implementation of at least 15 mandatory minimum functional system capabilities for an Automated Election System (AES) under Section 7 RA 9369; proper implementation of similar safeguards under other laws; and poll procedures respecting the right of watchers to “take photographs of the proceedings and incidents.”
The petitioners also asked honest implementation of the Court’s ruling in Bagumbayan-VNP Movement on Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail until the Audit Trail Stage; honest implementation of the electronic signature system so that electoral board members may authenticate or reject each and every electronic transmission of election result before the Board proclaims a winning candidate; compliance with Section 19 of RA No. 9369 requiring electronic transmission of election return copies direct to the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) free from Smartmatic interference; and random manual audit that is truly random.