WITH the Commission on Elections (Comelec) already preparing to conduct the public bidding for the new automated election system (AES) to be used in the 2025 polls, the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) and its fellow poll watchdogs called on lawmakers to take away the requirement of prior election experience when picking the potential service provider.
In their “Call to Action on the 2025 AES,” the group asked Congress to amend the provision on Republic Act No. 9369 or the Poll Automation Law, particularly on the requirements of the AES to be procured.
“The undersigned calls on Congress to remove the requirement of demonstrated capability and successful use in a prior electoral exercise here or abroad,” the group said in a statement.
Doing so, they said, will allow more Filipino service providers the opportunity to join the public bidding for the AES.
“Removal of these requirements will open the playing field for local Filipino bidders and further the standard of cost-effectiveness and showcasing the Filipino information technology expertise that we so proudly export and/or being used by so many multinational BPO companies operating in the Philippines,” said the poll watchdogs.
Under the law, “the system procured must have demonstrated capability and been successfully used in a prior electoral exercise here or aboard”.
The groups said Comelec should put more premium on important aspects of the AES in choosing the winning bidder.
They said this means that more weight must be given to the systems’ transparency, cost-effectiveness, accessibility and inclusivity, reliability, security, safety, and fairness.
“These standards are all technology neutral: they apply whatever hardware, software, and mode of counting are adopted,” they said.
The groups added that having such features will benefit the Comelec and the AES even in the long run.
“All these standards will be important, not only in 2025 but in all electoral exercises, in building trust and credibility of the election process, the election results, and the Comelec,” they said.
Earlier, the Comelec released the Terms of Reference for the Fully Automated System with Transparency Audit and Count (FASTrAC) that will be used in the May 2025 polls.
The Comelec said it is looking to begin the public bidding process for the new AES by August or September.
NAMFREL said their call to action is the result of a series of consultations with different stakeholders that they conducted earlier this year.
