By Junex Doronio
MANILA — After South Korean firm Miru bagged the P18.8-billion FASTrAC project for the May 2025 automated elections, election watchdog Democracy Watch Philippines on Sunday expressed doubt on its credibility.
In a statement, Democracy Watch asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) if the prototype that Miru would use in the 2025 elections has been used before.
“Since the post-qualification evaluations began, Democracy Watch has repeatedly asked whether the same ACM has ever been deployed in an election, as required by law,” Democracy Watch convenor Lloyd Zaragoza said.
It can be recalled that following a unanimous vote, the Comelec has awarded to the joint venture led by Miru Systems of South Korea the P17.9-billion leasing contract for 110,000 automated counting machines (ACMs) that will be used in the 2025 mid-term polls.
On Wednesday (21 February 2024), the Comelec en banc awarded the contract to lone bidder Miru, which based on the contract will be tasked to provide 104,345 ballot boxes, 2,200 laptops and printers, the paper for printing 73,881,894 ballots, and a system for ballot verification.
However, Democracy Watch said that the issue of the South Korean firm’s credibility “remains unsettled by the unresolved questions surrounding Miru’s performance in other countries.”
(el Amigo/MNM)