黑料社

Several lawmakers and poll watchdogs on Friday welcomed President Duterte鈥檚 call for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ditch the Smartmatic voting system and look for another technology provider that is 鈥渇ree of fraud.鈥�

鈥淲hether or not the suspicions against the integrity of Smartmatic are valid, the efficiency of the system is now put under question,鈥� Sen. Panfilo Lacson said.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 about time for us to look for other suppliers,鈥� he said, adding that he was open to adopting a 鈥渉ybrid system鈥� that allows manual vote count at the precinct level.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, head of the congressional oversight committee on the automated election system (AES), said the President made a 鈥済ood point鈥� in raising the possibility of using a new balloting system in the next elections in 2022.

鈥淲e need a new system in 2022,鈥� Pimentel said.

鈥楲ook for one free of fraud鈥�

In a meeting with members of the Filipino community in Japan on Thursday night, Duterte said the votes were 鈥渘ot being counted truthfully鈥� and Filipinos 鈥渘o longer want that Smartmatic.鈥�

鈥淚 would like to advise Comelec now鈥擨 won鈥檛 wait for the State of the Nation Address anymore鈥攄ispose of that Smartmatic and look for a new one that is free of fraud,鈥� Duterte said.

鈥淵ou have three years,鈥� Duterte told the Comelec. 鈥淭he elections were recently concluded. Replace that now because it is no longer acceptable to me, to the people and even to the congressmen who are here. 鈥� Improve on the system. Stop using Smartmatic.鈥�

Panelo clarification

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, however, clarified on Friday that Duterte鈥檚 remarks 鈥渄oes not mean that the just concluded elections is not honest nor credible. It is.鈥�

鈥淭he President is not comfortable with these allegations that produce a whiff of fraud or delay in the announcing of the election results,鈥� Panelo said.

He added that Duterte did not want the same allegations to taint future elections.

Opposition Sen. Francis Pangilinan, however, said the Duterte administration should also hold accountable those who violated the laws and used public funds to ensure the victory of proadministration candidates.

鈥淢any times, the President threatened local politicians that he [would] put on hold their projects if they would not support his candidates,鈥� Pangilinan said.

鈥淗undreds of VCMs (vote-counting machines) either malfunctioned or were defective in an election where vote-buying was rampant and in which the President himself called it 鈥榥ormal,鈥欌�� he said.

Need for legal basis

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said Smartmatic could not be blacklisted on a whim as there should be 鈥渁 legal basis to ban any supplier,鈥� he said.

Jimenez assured the public that Smartmatic had 鈥渘o hold鈥� on the Comelec and the services it provided were won by the company legally through public biddings.

Jimenez noted that while Mr. Duterte had concerns about Smartmatic, 鈥渋t was clear that he wasn鈥檛 turning away from the automated system.鈥�

There was no comment from Smartmatic.

The Comelec is a constitutional commission that is independent of the three branches of government鈥攖he executive, legislative and judiciary鈥攂ut its members are appointed by the President. Four of its seven members had been appointed by Mr. Duterte, including its chair, Sheriff Abas.

In March 2012, despite opposition from various election watchdogs the Comelec decided to buy Smartmatic voting machines that it had leased for the 2010 presidential elections for use in the 2013 midterm polls. The decision was upheld by the Supreme Court.

Bolstered position

The court, however, ruled in April 2015 against the Comelec鈥檚 plan to refurbish the machines for the 2016 presidential polls, saying that the P268.8-million repair contract with Smartmatic did not undergo public bidding.

In March last year, the Comelec decided to buy for P2.1 billion the 97,000 vote-counting machines it had leased from Smartmatic for P8 billion for the 2016 elections for use in the 2019 midterm polls.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said the President鈥檚 remarks bolstered the position of the Makabayan bloc in the House that Smartmatic should have long been banned from Philippine elections.

The House committee on public accounts has opened an inquiry into the Comelec鈥檚 procurement contracts for the 2019 elections that received P9 billion in funding.

In a hearing on Tuesday, congressmen questioned Comelec officials about the alleged irregularities that marred the May 13 polls, including the use of pens that caused blots on the ballots, the porous paper used for the ballots, the 1,165 defective storage cards and hundreds of malfunctioning vote-counting machines and the seven-hour delay in the transmission of poll results.

Makabayan senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares expressed fears that allowing Smartmatic to get involved in the 2022 presidential elections 鈥渨ill again subvert the true will of the people鈥� that would place the polls three years from now in 鈥減otential jeopardy and perilous state.鈥�

Namfrel: Heed Duterte advice

The National Citizens鈥� Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) urged the Comelec to heed the President鈥檚 鈥渁dvice.鈥�

鈥淭he conduct of Philippine elections, automated or not, should be left at the hands of Filipinos,鈥� Namfrel said in a statement.

It said Republic Act No. 9369, or the Automated Election Law, should be amended because it prevented local systems developers from participating in developing and supplying an AES.

Namfrel also pushed its earlier proposal to go back to manual balloting with a computer-assisted vote count that is open to the public, electronic generation and transmission of election returns, and automated canvassing and consolidation of the poll results.

Danilo Arao, convener of the poll watchdog Kontra Daya, said Duterte鈥檚 call for reforms 鈥渟hould not just be limited to the Comelec鈥檚 questionable partnership with [Smartmatic].鈥�

鈥淭hat the rich and powerful continue to dominate and bastardize the election system is also a glaring evidence of fraud as money politics and even 鈥榝ake news鈥� become a 鈥榥ew normal鈥� in Philippine politics,鈥� Arao said. 鈥擶ITH REPORTS FROM JULIE M. AURELIO, JOVIC YEE AND INQUIRER RESEARCH