THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday assured poll watchdog Democracy Watch that enough processes are in place to check on the true capability of Miru Systems to be the service provider for the 2025 automated election system (AES).
In an interview, Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said the Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) will scrutinize the performance of the Korean Firm to ensure it can efficiently implement the Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC) project.
“We have an existing process in the procurement that can ensure that the items we will procure will be successful or has adequate contingencies,” said Laudiangco.
“We are not worried because there are processes to fully evaluate them,” he added.
In particular, the poll official cited the post qualification process, to which Miru will be subjected to, as the main tool to check on the validity of its claims.
“The true test is in the post qualification evaluation. Why? All documents they submitted and will be submitting will be evaluated thoroughly. It is within the SBAC’s mandate to look at their ratings, success rates, failure rates, and evaluation of the end users of their projects,” said Laudiangco, adding the assessment may even include current or previous projects of Miru in other countries.
“It’s within the power of the SBAC to dig deeper,” he said.
The Comelec issued the assurance after Democracy Watch said the poll body should strongly reconsider if it would want Miru to be its service provider for the 2025 AES considering its problematic stints in Iraq and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
On Monday, the joint venture of Miru Systems Co Ltd, Integrated Computer Systems, St. Timothy Construction Corporation, and Centerpoint Solutions Technologies, Inc. (MIRU-ICS-STCC-CPSTI) was deemed eligible as the lone bidder in the P18.8 billion contract.
