MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and its automated election systems provider, Miru Systems, officially inked the contract yesterday for the upcoming midterm elections slated for next year. However, Comelec issued a cautionary statement to the South Korean firm, advising them against participating in any form of irregular activities during the electoral process.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia issued a direct warning to Miru Systems and its three local partners, urging them not to sabotage the integrity of the 2025 elections.
“I discussed with them and their Filipino partners that it’s possible for politicians, political parties and others to approach and ask them to manipulate election results in their favor,” Garcia said during the contract signing held at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila.
“I emphasized to them that if they are capable of such, they should not do it under the present leadership of this commission,” Garcia added.
He stressed that committing such irregularities is electoral sabotage under Republic Act 9369 or the Poll Automation Law.
“If there are irregularities, that would mean life imprisonment, it is a non-bailable offense,” he said.
“If somebody approaches you, immediately report them to us, because it will only affect the good partnership that we have. We will have an open door policy with Miru,” said Garcia.
Meanwhile, Miru Systems president Chung Jin Bok vowed that the company will adhere to all the guidelines and rules imposed by the Comelec.
“We promise, we can guarantee that we will be transparent all throughout the process. We will abide by the rules of the Comelec of this nation,” said Chung, who had Miru overseas sales representative Jason Lee as translator during the press briefing.
He added that their goal is to build up the company and to expand. “We will not do anything that will jeopardize our future as well as the election process of the Philippines,” Chung said, stressing that Miru Systems is committed to engaging in open dialogue and collaboration with Comelec.
“We pledge our utmost efforts to ensure the fostering of a transparent election process and successful completion of the upcoming elections,” said Chung.
The Comelec entered into a contract with the Joint Venture composed of Miru Systems Co Ltd., Integrated Computer Systems, St. Timothy Construction Corp., and Centerpoint Solutions Technologies Inc. for the Full Automation System with Transparency Audit and Count (FASTrAC) project, designated for use in the 2025 elections.
On February 22, the Comelec designated the joint venture as the “Single Calculated and Responsive Bid” for the P18.8-billion contract. The FASTrAC project was granted to the group following their bid offer of P17,988,878,226.55 to the Comelec.
Chairman Garcia stated their expectation for Miru Systems to complete the manufacturing and customization of the automated counting machines within a span of six months.
“What we want is to have the most orderly, credible and trustworthy elections in 2025,” he added. He likewise said that if Miru would like to participate again in Comelec’s future procurement projects, they should make next year’s elections orderly.
“We want for them to employ a system that is highly credible and transparent for the 2025 polls,” the Comelec chief said.
