THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has assured lawmakers that the automated election system (AES) the poll body is looking to tap for the May 2025 polls can be subjected to changes, after some lawmakers deemed the excessive and unnecessary.
“We can still make changes and together draft the best election system for the country,” Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said in a recent public briefing.
He said this is the reason the Comelec released the terms of reference (TOR) for the next AES two years ahead of the midterm polls.
“We came out with the TOR for the 2025 elections early so that we can already see if it is really a good fit, if it is really the correct system for the country,” he said.
If the Comelec’s proposed AES is accepted, the most inexpensive system will be selected by the Comelec through a public bidding.
“During the public bidding, suppliers will compete on who can best meet our TOR, best system, and, most importantly, the lowest price and most advantageous price for the government,” said Laudiangco.
Aside from being a hybrid of the optical mark reader and the direct recording electronic, the Comelec also included a list of new features for the AES.
According to Senate minority leader Koko Pimentel III, the Comelec’s “wish” AES will likely jack up the price of the elections. He said having unnecessary expenditures in the elections is unacceptable given the country’s tight fiscal situation.
