Do be careful with our money, Chairman Andy

Almighty as the Comelec may be over elections, it needs outside counsel about the use of taxpayers’ money. Its new chairman and commissioners could use some institutional knowledge, from long-time “critics” of its obsession with the faulty PCOS (precinct count optical scanners). Following is a self-explanatory letter to Chairman Andy Bautista from Philippine Computer Society-Foundation president Leo Querubin:

“Dear Chair Andy,

“In (a recent) issue of Manila Times you stated that the ‘difference between cost of refurbishment and lease of new machines is around P2.5 billion.’ This same statement you gave at the Aug. 6 meeting of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee (on Election Automation).

“The same article states that Comm. Christian Robert Lim ‘said the cost per unit to refurbish the PCOS is P23,574, compared to P56,303 per unit (to lease) a brand-new.’

“If the article quotes Commissioner Lim correctly, then the table below shows the totals:

“The difference of P3.36 billion is not the same as your statement of a P2.5-billion difference.

“As a voter, I am very worried about the skills of the Comelec when it comes to numbers, given that it is the body that counts the votes. We have seen this in Comelec’s absurd calculation of the cost of PATaS and of the ballot-secrecy folders in 2010.

“This is also an apples-to-oranges comparison, because the old faulty PCOS machines are already owned by the taxpayers, while for the new PCOS, the taxpayers are not the final owners of the machines. The basis of comparison should be what we call in the info-tech industry as the Total Cost of Ownership.

“Regardless of the difference, to appreciate the situation better, the analogy is the choice of spending P23,574 to fix a broken car to be used for a one day event, or P 56,303 to rent a car for one day.

“It is sad to think that the Comelec during the regime of Chairman Brillantes received a proposal from Smartmatic-TIM Corp. for an Extended Warranty as early as Nov. 2013. Instead of immediately getting the opinion of the Law Department, it waited until Oct. 30, 2014. On Nov. 4, 2014, the Law Department advised against going into a negotiated contract, and advised that Smartmatic-TIM should instead fulfill its obligation of training the IT Department personnel. Despite the advice of the Law Department, Comelec approved Resolution 9922 on Dec. 23, 2014, and signed a negotiated contract with Smartmatic-TIM on Jan. 30, 2015 (two days before Brillantes and two commissioners were to retire).

“The proposal was submitted on Nov. 13, 2013 and a negotiated contract was signed after 443 days — yet the reason for the negotiated contract was the lack of time!

“If the old Comelec regime wanted what was good for the country, it should have immediately sought the opinion of the Law Department, which would have rendered the same opinion as early as Dec. 2013. This would have allowed Comelec to force Smartmatic-TIM to fulfill its contractual obligation of training the ITD personnel. And given five months of repair, Comelec would have known the exact number of PCOS machines that are in working condition by July 2014. Comelec would have conducted a procurement for the lease of an exact number of PCOS machines by Oct. 2014. Comelec would have the whole of 2015 to prepare for a transparent, honest, accurate and credible elections in 2016.

“But we all know that the old Comelec regime did not allow that to happen. And because of the decisions of the old regime, your leadership is now beset with problems. Frankly, bad decisions are still being made because the influence of the old regime is still present and active in your Commission. They dictate the legacy you will leave the Commission.

“You are a good man Chair Andy. Please do not let minions of the old regime distort your moral compass. I know I speak on behalf of all the ‘critics’ when I say that we will fully support you when you assert your leadership and do what it right for the country.”

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Abandoned, victimized, helpless

Doesn’t each passing day make you feel that government has left you on your own? Street crimes, home burglaries, hours long traffic jams, floods, rutty roads, construction mess, illegal quarrying, mass sickness from rotten foods, overloaded ships, congested seaports and air runways, super-heavy trucks crossing light bridges, electricity and telecom cable theft, colorum jitneys, drug-crazed bus drivers, robber-cabbies. Yet there are no cops, state engineers, safety and sanitation inspectors, and other officers to help out. Bureaucrats and personnel feel no compulsion to provide service 24/7. Why should they, when they see political higher-ups —  Cabinet men and lawmakers  —  loafing around or illegally campaigning this early for Election 2016.

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