PPCRV defends Comelec bidding process

MANILA, Philippines – The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) defended yesterday the Commission on Election-Special Bids and Awards Committee (Comelec-SBAC) against accusations that the bidding process for the P11.3-billion automation project was lopsided.

“I will not subscribe to that ‘done deal’ (accusation),” said PPCRV chairman Henrietta de Villa, who sits as an observer in the bidding process being supervised by SBAC.

Last Saturday, the consortium of AMA Group of Companies and Election System and Software (ES&S) withdrew their bid offer for the automation contract, citing loss of confidence in the bidding process.

SBAC was then expected to rule on AMA’s motion for reconsideration of SBAC Resolution No. 11 dated May 25, 2009, which disqualified them from the bidding process for failing in the technical screening.

In an interview, AMA project director Juanito Ramos Jr. noted that they were disappointed over what has been going on in the bidding, “part and parcel” of which was the smoking incident involving the machine of rival bidder Smartmatic and Total Information Management Corp. (TIM).

AMA’s withdrawal had left Smartmatic-TIM as the lone bidder vying for the automation project.

De Villa disagreed with Ramos’s accusation.

“I see the process. It has been the same for everyone. I think for them (AMA), the process had been prolonged because SBAC somehow tolerated them,” she maintained, apparently referring to the three motions for reconsideration filed by AMA every time they were disqualified.

De Villa added that she was satisfied with performance of the Smartmatic machines during the demonstration.

“They passed the eligibility tests. It was even them that provided the machines used in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao elections and they were able to do their job,” she maintained.

SBAC head Ferdinand Rafanan said the Comelec might award the project to the winning bidder, without necessarily referring to Smartmatic-TIM.

Rafanan clarified that the Smartmatic-TIM machines have hurdled the 26 criteria that SBAC set.