2nd round ng bidding para sa bibilhing system na gagamitin sa 2025 automated elections, isinagawa ngayong araw
2nd round ng bidding para sa bibilhing system na gagamitin sa 2025 automated elections, isinagawa ngayong araw;
COMELEC, iginiit na hindi pa rin maaaring lumahok sa procurement ang SMARTMATIC
COMELEC, iginiit na hindi pa rin maaaring lumahok sa procurement ang SMARTMATIC
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NewsTranscript
00:00 The second round of bidding for the system that will be used in the 2025 full automated elections was held today.
00:09 But according to Comelec, only one company participated and submitted the requirements for the bidding.
00:16 Louisa Erispe is in the center of the news live.
00:22 After the first bidding process for the 2025 automated elections was canceled, Comelec held the second bidding today
00:32 for the automated system that will be used in the 2025 elections.
00:37 After the Korean firm Miru Systems Company Ltd. declared ineligible in the first round of bidding in December,
00:46 Comelec held the second bidding for the system that will be used in the 2025 elections.
00:52 According to Comelec, six companies purchased documents for the bidding.
00:57 But contrary to what they expected, one company still failed and submitted the requirements for the bidding.
01:03 And this is still the joint venture of Miru Systems.
01:07 Only one company submitted the requirements.
01:10 At the moment, we are doing what we call eligibility checking or evaluating legal eligibility documents.
01:17 Even though the bidder is the same and this is still the loan bidder last year, it still passed the eligibility test.
01:29 It should be noted that Miru Systems did not pass this test because of their lack of legal documents.
01:36 And they should be the first to look for the requirements of SBAC for procurement,
01:42 not only for the counting machines, but also for the ballot boxes and other things.
01:48 They should also be included in Comelec's budget of more than P18.8 million for the contract.
01:55 But in the middle of checking Miru's eligibility, the legal counsel of Smartmatic spoke.
02:01 They asked for minutes on why they did not accept the requirements they submitted to be included in the bidding.
02:08 Similar to the first bidding, we request a certification or perhaps a copy of the transcript
02:19 containing the report of the SBAC-AES Secretariat reporting on the fact that our client,
02:27 the JD of Smartmatic, attempted to submit its bid earlier this morning but it was refused.
02:36 Comelec immediately explained that just like the first bidding, they did not accept the documents they submitted
02:44 because they are still suspended until now for any procurement process of Comelec.
02:50 The Supreme Court has not issued a restraining order yet.
02:56 Smartmatic bought the bid documents but earlier this morning,
03:01 they had a representative who would submit their bid tender.
03:04 And pursuant again to the decision of the Commission and Bank on the election matter,
03:08 the Secretariat did not accept their bid tender.
03:12 Meanwhile, Comelec is still confident that they are still on track or not yet in a hurry
03:21 for the preparation for the 2025 midterm elections.
03:26 We are still in the timeline, we are not yet in a hurry and we still have one year to produce,
03:31 to customize, to test, to evaluate and most importantly, we said that after all of this,
03:36 we will all do a local source code review, we will all do end-to-end testing
03:41 and most importantly, the international certification.
03:44 Angelic, the bidding process for the Commission on Elections is still ongoing for the procurement
03:54 for the automated system that will be used for the 2025 elections.
03:58 Even though the Comelec office is half-day, because it is a holiday in Manila,
04:03 they will continue the bidding process for the whole day.
04:08 Angelic.
04:09 Okay, so Luisa, let's say that only one person submitted and they were proven eligible.
04:17 Does that mean that they are already in or there will be a third bidding process tomorrow?
04:24 What is the rule up to that point?
04:26 Angelic, just like the first bidding, it is a loan bidder and the second bidding is still a loan bidder
04:34 and it is still the MIROS systems.
04:36 If they were not eligible, because it is still being checked,
04:40 it does not mean that they are the only bidder and they will be the winner or the one who will receive the contract.
04:47 They need to check if they are eligible, if their requirements are complete,
04:51 if their documents are complete so that they can pass.
04:54 If they were not able to pass, like the first bidding, where they were ineligible,
05:00 there can be a third round of bidding, depending on the committee and the Commission on Elections and Bank,
05:07 or there can be a negotiated bidding where the process of bidding will be faster.
05:14 This is still a competitive bidding but it will be faster and the bidders who will be chosen
05:21 will be chosen for the third round or the negotiated bidding.
05:26 Angelic.
05:27 Okay, thank you very much, Luisa Erizpe.
05:29 respect.