The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has scheduled a hearing this month to address a petition seeking the disqualification of Smartmatic, the technology provider, from bidding for the automated election system (AES) for the 2025 elections.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia announced that a hearing will take place on either October 17 or 18 to allow for a thorough discussion of the petition and to ensure that both parties receive due process.
In June, former Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) secretary Eliseo Rio, former Comelec commissioner Augusto “Gus” Lagman, Franklin Ysaac, and Leonardo Odono filed a petition seeking a review of Smartmatic’s qualifications.
The petition cited reported irregularities between the transmission logs and reception logs from the precinct level to the Comelec’s transparency server during the 2022 elections.
Garcia mentioned that Smartmatic has yet to comment on the matter, as the company still needs to submit its answer following the release of the order.
The poll body chief reiterated that the technology provider cannot be banned from bidding without a valid reason or formal basis.
Comelec aims to resolve the petition before the commencement of AES procurement, ensuring a fair and transparent election process for the upcoming elections.
Source: PhilNews24 | October 6, 2023
