Pimentel backs probe of VRIS status

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel endorsed yesterday the Senate investigation into the scrapping by the Commission on Elections of the controversial P6.5-billion voters’ registration and identification system (VRIS).

Pimentel said that the Senate should give priority to the Comelec modernization program, especially the VRIS project which is intended to cleanse the country’s list of voters of "ghost and flying voters."

He pointed out that the voters’ registration list containing fake voters is one of the sources of electoral fraud during elections.

"Computerizing the count ahead of cleansing the voters’ list may not reform our electoral process," he said in explaining why the VRIS should get priority attention.

Pimentel said in the Senate inquiry, Comelec Chairman Alfredo Benipayo and other poll officials should explain why they decided to scrap the modernization program, particularly the VRIS the poll body had awarded to a consortium led by Photokina Marketing Corp.

Pimentel said Benipayo should explain why he decided to abandon the VRIS project despite the fact that it was already awarded to the winning bidder (Photokina) in a contract approved by the Comelec en banc.

"We have to look into that because if that is a valid contract, then my view is that it should be implemented," he said.

Earlier, Sen. Juan Flavier called on the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and the committee on suffrage and electoral reforms to investigate the scrapping of the election modernization program.

He warned that foreign investors might be wary of coming to the Philippines if they find out that they could still lose contracts after winning in regular bidding processes.

He said that the confirmation of Comelec officials by the Commission on Appointment could be jeopardized if they fail to justify their decisions on the modernization program.