‘AES lone bidder should pass eye of the needle’
A MILITANT lawmaker yesterday called for a comprehensive assessment of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) potential contract with Miru Systems for the 2025 automated election system (AES) to ensure the integrity and security of the country’s electoral process.
ACT party-list Rep. France Castro raised concerns over reports of irregularities in the South Korean firm’s stints in the electoral exercises in other countries like Iraq and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“We call on the Comelec and Congress to prioritize the public interest and thoroughly review all aspects related to the potential contract with Miru Systems. The Filipino people deserve a transparent, secure, and reliable electoral system that upholds the principles of democracy,” she said in a statement.
Castro said it is crucial for the Comelec and Congress to scrutinize the bidding process and the track record of Miru Systems before finalizing any contract for the Philippine elections because “the integrity and security of our electoral process are at stake, and we cannot afford to take any risks.”
Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco told lawmakers that Miru is not yet selected as the AES provider as the commission is still set to review the allegations against the firm during post-qualification processes.
“’Di pa nakakasiguro na mananalo si Miru kasi it’s a long line of checklists po na pinopost-qual[ify] natin. Mag-fail lang po siya sa isang component na nire-require ng Comelec ay ide-declare po namin siya na post-disqualified at magkakaroon po ng failure of bidding (It’s not yet certain that Miru will win because there’s a long line of checklists that we have to do post-qualification. If it fails even just a single component required by Comelec, we’ll declare it post-disqualified and there will be a failure of bidding),” Laudiangco told the House Committee on Suffrage last Tuesday.
Castro said Miru should not have reached the post-qualification part of the selection process “when these checks should have been done right from the start” while Democracy Watch convenor Lloyd Zaragoza welcomed the Comelec’s move to scrutinize Miru’s record.
Democracy Watch earlier warned the Comelec
