SENATE minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III has questioned the “exorbitant” rental rates of modern automated counting machines (ACMs) to be used for national and local elections in 2025.
Pimentel said under its proposed budget next year, the Commission on Elections earmarked P19.799 billion for the rental of 127,740 ACMs, each costing P155,000 to lease, but an earlier pronouncement by the poll body made in the Senate and in various media outlets said that it has set the rental price for 97,000 ACMs at P70,000 each or around P6.79 billion.
He was puzzled as to the “sudden” increase in the amount for ACM rentals.
“That’s quite a dramatic increase. I think the Comelec has a lot of explaining to do,” Pimentel said in a statement released yesterday.
There was no immediate comment from the Comelec.
Pimentel said the rental rate of P155,000 per ACM is “excessively high,” especially when considering the financial challenges faced by the government, including a huge budget deficit.
“To spend nearly P20 billion on the rental of automated counting machines, with each costing P155,000 just to lease, is simply not wise given our current financial situation,” he said.
He is wondering why the price increased to P155,000 per unit, from P70,000 based on the previous pronouncement of the poll body.
“It suddenly increased by 121 percent,” Pimentel said.
