A GROUP, led by ballot secrecy folder whistle-blower Melchor Magdamo, lambasted the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for raising the possibility of no elections and the possibility of reverting back to manual elections in 2016.
Lawyer Melchor Magdamo, co-convenor of the Citizens for Clean and Credible Elections (C3E), said “the Comelec is deliberately misleading the public for peddling such unfounded fears among the people.”
The Comelec is trying to hostage the people into believing that the Supreme Court action stopping the diagnosis and refurbishment of the counting machines will hamper preparations for next year’s polls, Magdamo said in a statement on Sunday.
The SC has ordered the implementation of the poll body’s refurbishment of voting machines deal with Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM) Inc.
“Republic Act 9369 mandates that all elections be automated. The Comelec itself is fully aware of that. Therefore, it is absolutely confounding why the Comelec keeps on insinuating a return to manual elections.”
Acting Comelec Chairman Christian Robert Lim and Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez had earlier stated they are considering all options, including a possible return to manual elections, after the SC issued last week a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the negotiated contract for the refurbishment of the 82,000 Precinct Count Optical Scan machines for 2016.
Voting 12-2, the SC deemed that the Comelec and Smartmatic-negotiated contract is a violation of the procurement law since it did not go through public bidding.
The Comelec also expressed its concern that the TRO on the refurbishment has caused significant delays to the preparations being made for the elections.
Magdamo believes otherwise.
“May I remind the Comelec that they proudly boast that they managed to pull off the first automated elections in 2010 in under nine months. So, for them to claim that there is not enough time to prepare for 2016 is preposterous.”
Magdamo’s group C3E implores the Comelec to drop the negotiated contract with Smartmatic and proceed directly to bidding out the refurbishment contract, “as it should have done so in the first place.”