MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has disqualified and disallowed technology provider Smartmatic Philippines Inc. from participating in all its public bidding and procurement processes.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Wednesday said the decision had nothing to do with the petition filed against Smartmatic in June by former Information and Communications Technology secretary Eliseo Rio, former Comelec commissioner Augusto “Gus” Lagman, Franklin Ysaac and Leonardo Odono.
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said the decision of the en banc was related to the questionable procurement during the 2016 elections won by Smartmatic.
The Comelec cited the request for official documents relative to the investigation by the United States government of former Comelec chairman Juan Andres Bautista and other individuals and entities for violation of US criminal laws.
It said the request from the US government was in pursuance of the Philippine-United States Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters relative to the alleged violation of US criminal laws that include Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering.
The evidence requested by the US prosecutor, it said, was crucial “for tracking the flow of payments and identifying other individuals involved in the alleged scheme.”
“It is noteworthy that Bautista, who served as the Chairman of the Commission, was formally charged in September 2023, in connection with allegations of receiving bribes in exchange for awarding a contract for election machines to Smartmatic Corp,” the 17-page Comelec resolution read.
“Bautista and others are alleged to have laundered the bribe money through multiple entities. It was revealed that Bautista established a foreign shell company, which was used to receive bribe payments from Smartmatic. The charges against Smartmatic and former Chairman Bautista are of public knowledge and tend to cause speculation and distrust of the electoral process.”
“Given the gravity of allegations related to bribery and compromised procurement processes, as independently determined by foreign bodies, the Commission recognizes the imminent threat to the strength and integrity of our democratic processes. In the light of these findings the Commission acknowledges the imminent peril to the integrity and robustness of our democratic institutions,” it further said.
It said that “the allegations not only undermine and cast a shadow over the procurement protocols but also threaten to erode the public’s confidence in the electoral system.”
Aside from disallowing Smartmatic, the poll body also referred the matter to the Special Bids and Awards Committee for “possible permanent disqualification and blacklisting from all government procurement proceedings, not just in relation to elections.”
Rio and his group filed a petition against Smartmatic in connection with the alleged irregularities in the 2022 elections.
Smartmatic won all the biddings of the Comelec since 2010 when it first bagged the election automation project.
In 2015, Smartmatic was post-disqualified by the SBAC in the P2.503 billion contract for the supply and lease of 23,000 units of precinct-based optical mark reader (OMR) counting machines for its failure to submit valid articles of incorporation and for the failure of its demo unit to meet the system requirement.
The SBAC decision was, however, reversed by the Comelec en banc.
Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon on Wednesday hailed the Comelec decision.
“The Comelec just did the best and timely move, disqualifying Smartmatic from participating in any upcoming and future elections in the Philippines,” Gadon told The Manila Times via Viber.
“Smartmatic is a cheating machine,” said Gadon, who ran under the ticket of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the May 2022 polls.
He claimed that Smartmatic cheated Marcos in 2016 when he ran for vice president.
“In 2022, Smartmatic was unable to cheat PBBM (in reference to the President) by reason of the overwhelming turnout of voters, which resulted in the 31 million votes of PBBM,” Gadon said.
Gadon alleged that Smartmatic also cheated some Senate candidates.
Some really interesting details you have written.Aided me a lot, just what I was searching for : D.
I like the efforts you have put in this, thanks for all the great blog posts.
I’ve recently started a blog, the info you provide on this website has helped me greatly. Thank you for all of your time & work.
Great wordpress blog here.. It’s hard to find quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate people like you! take care
What is a Sugar Defender? Sugar Shield could be an affront affectability enhancement product that effectively supports stable blood sugar levels.
Simply wanna remark on few general things, The website layout is perfect, the written content is very great : D.
There are certainly numerous particulars like that to take into consideration. That is a great level to convey up. I provide the ideas above as normal inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you carry up where the most important thing might be working in trustworthy good faith. I don?t know if finest practices have emerged around issues like that, however I’m sure that your job is clearly identified as a good game. Both boys and girls really feel the affect of just a moment’s pleasure, for the remainder of their lives.
I am extremely inspired with your writing talents as neatly as with the format on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Anyway stay up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to look a great weblog like this one nowadays..
As soon as I discovered this site I went on reddit to share some of the love with them.
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Extremely helpful info specially the last part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I was looking for this certain information for a long time. Thank you and good luck.
I really appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thank you again!
Thanks for sharing excellent informations. Your web-site is so cool. I am impressed by the details that you have on this blog. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the info I already searched everywhere and simply couldn’t come across. What a great website.
Great – I should definitely pronounce, impressed with your web site. I had no trouble navigating through all the tabs as well as related information ended up being truly simple to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it at all. Quite unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, site theme . a tones way for your client to communicate. Excellent task..
Thanks for helping out, fantastic info. “The surest way to be deceived is to think oneself cleverer than the others.” by La Rochefoucauld.
Renew is a nutritional supplement that activates your metabolism and promotes healthy sleep.
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is needed to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very web smart so I’m not 100 certain. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
Its fantastic as your other posts : D, thankyou for posting. “To be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction, is to live twice.” by Kahlil Gibran.
FitSpresso: What Is It? FitSpresso is a natural weight loss aid that targets the root cause of excess body fat.
I truly appreciate this post. I?¦ve been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thanks again
Superb post but I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this topic? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Cheers!
I simply couldn’t depart your web site before suggesting that I really loved the standard info a person supply on your visitors? Is gonna be again frequently in order to investigate cross-check new posts.
Hey! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa? My website goes over a lot of the same topics as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you might be interested feel free to shoot me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Awesome blog by the way!
I don’t normally comment but I gotta admit appreciate it for the post on this special one : D.
I got good info from your blog
About Blue Tonic Weight Loss Drink Recipe:The Blue Tonic Weight Loss Drink Recipe is more than just a beverage; it’s a potent blend of carefully selected ingredients designed to support your weight loss journey.
Howdy just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.
Good info. Lucky me I reach on your website by accident, I bookmarked it.
Thanks for sharing excellent informations. Your site is so cool. I’m impressed by the details that you have on this website. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched all over the place and simply couldn’t come across. What a perfect website.
I have been exploring for a little bit for any high-quality articles or weblog posts in this sort of space . Exploring in Yahoo I eventually stumbled upon this site. Studying this info So i am satisfied to convey that I have an incredibly just right uncanny feeling I found out exactly what I needed. I such a lot indisputably will make certain to don?¦t fail to remember this site and give it a look on a constant basis.
Hello, you used to write wonderful, but the last few posts have been kinda boring… I miss your tremendous writings. Past few posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!
This web page is known as a stroll-by means of for all of the info you needed about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you’ll definitely discover it.
I really enjoy examining on this website, it has got excellent content. “Never fight an inanimate object.” by P. J. O’Rourke.
Sweet web site, super pattern, very clean and use genial.
I love it when people come together and share opinions, great blog, keep it up.
Wonderful web site. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to several friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you in your effort!
This design is spectacular! You obviously know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Fantastic job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I will recommend this site!
Very interesting topic, thankyou for putting up. “Nobody outside of a baby carriage or a judge’s chamber believes in an unprejudiced point of view.” by Lillian Hellman.
What Is Neotonics? Neotonics is a skin and gut supplement made of 500 million units of probiotics and 9 potent natural ingredients to support optimal gut function and provide healthy skin.
This web site is really a walk-through for all of the info you wanted about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you’ll definitely discover it.
Hey! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
wonderful points altogether, you simply gained a new reader. What would you suggest about your post that you made some days ago? Any positive?
Hello! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good success. If you know of any please share. Appreciate it!
I have not checked in here for some time since I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are great quality so I guess I’ll add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
F*ckin¦ awesome things here. I am very happy to see your article. Thanks a lot and i’m having a look forward to touch you. Will you kindly drop me a mail?
I as well believe thence, perfectly pent post! .
Just wanna remark on few general things, The website style is perfect, the written content is real wonderful. “Art for art’s sake makes no more sense than gin for gin’s sake.” by W. Somerset Maugham.
Nice post. I study something more difficult on totally different blogs everyday. It’s going to all the time be stimulating to learn content from different writers and follow a bit of one thing from their store. I’d choose to make use of some with the content on my weblog whether or not you don’t mind. Natually I’ll give you a link in your internet blog. Thanks for sharing.
Simply wanna comment that you have a very nice site, I enjoy the pattern it really stands out.
Glad to be one of many visitors on this awesome internet site : D.
Thanks, I’ve recently been looking for info approximately this topic for a long time and yours is the greatest I have found out so far. However, what concerning the conclusion? Are you positive in regards to the supply?
Simply a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding pattern.
I really value your work, Great post.
My programmer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on various websites for about a year and am nervous about switching to another platform. I have heard excellent things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress content into it? Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated!
Well I really enjoyed reading it. This post offered by you is very helpful for good planning.
I want looking at and I think this website got some truly utilitarian stuff on it! .
Really nice design and wonderful subject material, practically nothing else we want : D.
I found your weblog site on google and examine a number of of your early posts. Continue to maintain up the superb operate. I just additional up your RSS feed to my MSN Information Reader. Searching for ahead to reading more from you afterward!…