Commission on Elections Chairperson George Garcia | PHOTO: INQUIRER.net file photo / NOY MORCOSO
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday said St. Timothy Construction Corporation (STCC) withdrew from the Miru Joint Venture – the country’s election technology provider – amid reports that one of its owners may run in the 2025 polls.
“The Commission en banc immediately conveyed its sentiment to the joint venture that we will not allow the integrity of the elections to be questioned simply because one of the owners of our contracting partners would run in the 2025 elections,” Comelec chairperson George Garcia said in a press conference.
“Two choices only, one that the particular partner will have to withdraw, two we might be compelled to, in the interest of clean and honest election, disqualify certain candidates because we honestly believe that there is conflict of interest,” he added.
Garcia said the matter will be referred to the poll body’s law department for the next steps to take.
“We immediately referred it to the law department to evaluate what actions can be undertaken, and look into the obligations of the remaining partners after the withdrawal of STCC,” Garcia said.
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“The said partner provided the NFCC (Net Financial Contracting Capacity). Therefore, what are the possible equivalent that the Comelec can ask from the remaining partners to submit in the event that we allow the withdrawal of STCC,” he added.
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He said Miru Systems has conveyed to them its continuing commitment under the contract that they are still going to comply with their obligations.
“As of today, they delivered 50 percent of the machines and 100 percent of all peripherals. More or less they have complied with their milestones. At this point, we are not concerned because their compliance are more than enough to show their dedication and capability to fulfill their commitments in the contract,” Garcia said.
For its part, Miru Systems explained that the STCC is not part of the development of the automated counting machines (ACMs) and other services.
“While STCC played a role in meeting regulatory compliance requirements, they did not contribute to the development of our voting machines or services to be used in the 2025 National and Local Elections,” it said in a statement.
“We remain steadfast in our preparations and have already delivered substantial milestones within the contract. In fact, our JV has been able to deliver ahead of schedule, with 50,000 Automated Counting Machines already received in the country and undergoing thorough acceptance tests, along with 100 percent of all other election peripherals and brand new state-of-the-art printing machines,” it added.
READ: SC asked to stop Comelec-Miru deal for 2025 polls
The South Korea-based company also said “we are also moving forward with the training of technicians and setting up 110 repair hubs nationwide, as well as servers for all data centers.”
“We thank STCC for their transparency and proactivity in withdrawing from this partnership. We reiterate that this will not affect our commitment to delivering a better automated system in the service of Filipinos,” it added.
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The two other companies that comprised the joint venture are Integrated Computer Systems, Inc. (ICS) and Center Point Solutions and Technologies, Inc. (CPSTI). (PNA)
