New PCOS machines undergo a field test by the COMELEC and Smartmatic at the Marikina High School, Concepcion, Marikina City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday reported the disposal and sale of precinct count optical scanner (PCOS) machines that had been deemed unserviceable more than a decade since their first use.
Comelec Chair George Garcia released a copy of the commission鈥檚 Dec. 18 en banc resolution approving the decision of the Comelec Disposal Committee (CDC) regarding the old PCOS machines used in the 2010 and 2013 elections.
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The PCOS machines鈥攁nd their successors known as vote-counting machines (VCMs)鈥攚ere provided by the company Smartmatic, the country鈥檚 first automated poll service provider.
Through the years, poll watchdogs, politicians, and other critics have questioned the reliability of the PCOS and VCMs, citing reports of malfunctions, inaccuracies, and alleged tampering.
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The Comelec in November 2023 disqualified Smartmatic from all of the poll body鈥檚 procurements following allegations of corruption against the company鈥檚 officials and former Comelec Chair Andres Bautista.
Next year鈥檚 midterm polls will be handled by a joint venture led by South Korean firm Miru Systems.
According to the Comelec resolution, the unserviceable PCOS machines had been sold to a Pateros-based company, Microsphere System Technology, which submitted the highest bid of P12,264,000 during the auction held by the CDC on Dec. 17.
In a message to reporters, Garcia said a total of 81,776 PCOS units were sold and that the Commission on Audit鈥檚 appraisal of the entire lot was only P4.5 million.
In November last year, Garcia said some 80,000 PCOS units, as well as about 97,000 VCMS used in the 2016, 2019, and 2022 polls, were being kept at the Comelec warehouse in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.
The Comelec also found a buyer for the old plastic containers used for the PCOS machines and VCMs, as well as for yellow metal ballot boxes and plastic pallets that were no longer in use.
The items went to RHT Storage Center, a company based in San Mateo, Rizal, which gave the highest bid of P202,800.