WEEKS after the surprise pull out of St. Timothy’s Construction Company (STCC), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has officially accepted the new Net Financial Contracting Capacity (NFCC) submitted by the remaining members of the joint venture tasked to provide the automated election system (AES) for the May 2025 polls.
In its Minute Resolution No. 24-0856, the Comelec en banc said it found as adequate the NFCC submitted by Miru Systems (MIRU) and its remaining local partners – Integrated Computer Systems (ICS) and Centerpoint Solutions Technologies, Inc. (CPSTI).
“The Commission resolves to note the hereto attached and forming integral part hereof, Law Department comment and Project Management Office (PMO) recommendation, and consider and declare the new NFCC submitted by the remaining partners of MIRU-ICS-STCC-CPSTI Joint Venture, in compliance with the directive of the Commission in Minute Resolution No.24-0878 dated 04 October 2024, as sufficient and in order,” the Comelec said.
The decision was based on the assessment of the poll body that the new NFCC’s amount of P19,253,817,256.42 is more than the project’s contract price of P17,988,878,226.55.
“The Law Department finds the NFCC submitted by the provider sufficient and in order,” said PMO head Director Ester Villaflor-Roxas in her memorandum to the Comelec en banc.
Earlier this month, the STCC withdrew from the MIRU-led joint venture, which bagged the poll automation contract.
MIRU previously stated that STCC was the one that provided the NFCC for the AES project.
The withdrawal of STCC prompted the Comelec to require the remaining members of the joint venture to submit a replacement NFCC.
Subsequently, the joint venture submitted a replacement NFCC using the financial capacity of Integrated Computer Systems, Inc.
In a related development, Comelec chairman George Garcia said they are pursuing the possibility of holding accountable STCC officials after their withdrawal from the joint venture.
“We are following up with the Law Department the criminal, civil, and administrative liability study due to the withdrawal of one of the joint venture partners,” said Garcia in an interview with reporters.
To recall, the Comelec en banc previously directed the Law Department to determine if there is civil, criminal, and/or administrative liability on the part of STCC for withdrawing from the joint venture.