Buying voting machines a govt policy – Comelec

AMID continuous calls for the reuse of the vote counting machines (VCMs) of Smartmatic International in the 2025 polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said the decision to tap a new voting technology is not just the poll body’s decision alone.

In an interview, Comelec chairman George Garcia said it was not the sole decision of the poll body to procure a new system, which turned out to be the the automated counting machines (ACM) of South Korean firm Miru Systems Co. Ltd.

“It is not just the Comelec that decided to get a new voting system. It is not just the Comelec that decided to lease new machines. It is a decision of the entire government,” said Garcia.

“It has become a national government policy, and not just the Comelec, to acquire new voting machines,” he also said.

The poll chief noted how the use of new voting machines received the backing of both the Executive and Legislative departments.

“The Executive Department approved our budget. The Legislative Department allowed our budget,” said Garcia.

He said this is likely because they, too, are aware of how much it is needed to do away with the old voting technology.

“They know that in the event that the old machines experience glitches, it is not just the Comelec that will get the blame but the entire government,” said Garcia.

And given that it is a national government decision to acquire new machines, he said its implementation became more necessary.

“We would be remiss of our mandate if we don’t acquire new machines even if we are allocated the necessary budget,” said Garcia.

Earlier, the joint venture led by Miru Systems bagged the Full Automation System with Transparency Audit and Count (FASTrAC) project of the Comelec.

The FASTrAC project gives Miru Systems the mandate to produce the 110,000 ACMs to be used by the Comelec in the May 2025 polls.

Despite this, former Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice asked the Supreme Court to direct the Comelec to just utilize its existing VCMs from Smartmatic.

Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez similarly urged the Comelec to just reuse the voting machines of Smartmatic to save billions of public funds.

To note, the Comelec has purchased from