The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has announced that it would be premature to exclude Smartmatic from the bidding for automated counting machines in the 2025 midterm elections.
This comes in light of alleged bribery charges against former Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista by a US elections technology company.
Since the Philippines adopted automated elections in 2010, Smartmatic has been the provider of voting machines.
According to an ABS-CBN report, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said Smartmatic is one of the expected bidders for the 110,000 machines needed in 2025.
Garcia emphasized the presumption of innocence and stated that they would closely monitor the case and weigh the evidence presented in court. He stressed the importance of a transparent, inclusive, and fair procurement process for the 2025 elections.
Meanwhile, Bautista noted that he has not been contacted by the US Department of Homeland Security regarding the alleged complaint. He denied receiving any bribe money from Smartmatic or any other entity.
Further, Smartmatic spokesperson Christian Lim, also a former Comelec commissioner, stated that he was not aware of Bautista’s dealings with suppliers during his tenure.
