Moment of truth today for poll automation

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will know today whether or not partners Netherlands-based Smartmatic Corp. and Filipino-owned Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) have reconciled their differences and register as a joint venture to fulfill their contract to automate the 2010 elections.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez yesterday said poll officials are clueless if the two firms have reconciled. Smartmatic and TIM had been given a Friday deadline to resolve their conflict.

“We don’t know, but we hope that it won’t be a Black Friday for us,” Jimenez said.

Smartmatic and TIM won the bidding to supply the Comelec with some 82,000 precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines to be used in the May 10, 2010 local and national polls.

But last Monday, TIM president Jose Mari Antuñez suddenly informed Comelec chairman Jose Melo that the firm was backing out from the project, citing “irreconcilable differences” with and “loss of trust” in Smartmatic.

It turned out, however, that the rift was caused by disagreement over the “control of money.”

But even before the Comelec knows the decision of Smartmatic and TIM, the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) threatened yesterday to seek an injunction from the Supreme Court against the automation.

According to lawyer Harry Roque, some 20 “taxpayers” under CCM would file the petition to block the signing of the P7.2-billion automation contract.

“It will be a case for injunction because they won in the bidding although they don’t have joint venture agreement. They should not have been allowed to participate in the bidding,” he added.

When informed by Comelec reporters that there was a joint venture agreement, Roque claimed that such an accord was “hao shao (a sham),” considering the rift that they had.

Jimenez, however, maintained that joint venture agreement is allowed under Republic Act 9184 or the Procurement Law.

But after winning the bidding, companies must apply with the Securities and Exchange Commission for joint venture incorporation.

Jimenez questioned the timing of the threat since the bidding has long been over.

CCM is composed of various civic groups and individuals that have been opposing full automation.

They are pushing for open election system (OES) wherein the voting and counting are done manually while canvassing and transmission will be computerized.

Philstar

Related posts:

1. Comelec: It's all systems go for 2010 poll automation
2. Automation in peril as poll partners break up
3. Comelec, Smartmatic-TIM finally ink automation deal
4. Comelec: Poll automation contract to be awarded by end of May
5. Comelec: All 7 poll automation bidders disqualified
6. Smartmatic,TIM given until Friday to resolve conflict
7. Senators to Comelec: Consider partial automation
8. Comelec DQs another bidder in poll automation
9. 'Cha-cha' reaches moment of truth
10. Smartmatic officer's ties to NCC bared

Tags: 2010, Comelec, Elections, James Jimenez, OES, PCOS, Smartmatic, TIM