Comelec ‘wish’ list

This early, the procurement process for the new automated election system (AES) to be used in the May 2025 midterm polls started grinding, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Erwin Garcia announced in our Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday. In fact, Garcia disclosed, the open public bidding for the Fully Automated System with Transparency Audit and Count (FASTrAC) is set to take place by the second week of September at the latest.

However, Garcia conceded the schedule of the Comelec is loaded with undertaking aofficial activities related to the preparations in the holding on Oct. 30 this year of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BKSE). However, Garcia cited, the Comelec has already issued just last Monday the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the FASTrAC.

The FASTrAC would replace the existing AES that was used in the modernized elections that we had had in the Philippines since May 2010 up to last year’s presidential and national/local elections. When the first modernized voting and counting of votes were first implemented in our country, the AES used the Smartmatic Information Technology that “customized” these machines following Comelec specifications and requirements.

The Comelec first used the Precinct Counting Optical Scanning (PCOS) machines that became controversial with its maiden application during the May 2010 presidential, national and local elections. Candidates who run but lost blamed the PCOS machines. Some of the losers filed electoral protests at the Comelec, with claims that results were tampered in the Secure Digital (SD) cards. SD cards are the tiny flash memory cards designed for high-capacity memory that were installed in the PCOS machines.

Popular for his self-deprecating jokes, defeated ex-President Joseph Estrada branded the Smartmatic machines as “hocus-PCOS” following defeat in his comeback bid at Malacañang Palace. Incidentally, Garcia used to be the election lawyer of Mr. Estrada since 2008 until the latter ran again and won as Manila Mayor. Ironically, Mr. Estrada won his mayoral bid using the same PCOS machines in that mid-term elections in May 2013.

A sought after election lawyer before he joined the poll body, Garcia served also as legal counsel of former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno when the latter run but lost the presidential elections last year. It was won by now President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM).

But it was actually former President Rodrigo Duterte who first appointed Garcia as Comelec commissioner in March 2022. Garcia’s was technically by-passed after the Commission on Appointments (CA) in the 18th Congress adjourned without acting on his confirmation. PBBM subsequently appointed Garcia as Comelec chairman on August 1 last year and CA of the 19th Congress confirmed him a month later.

Thus, Garcia finds it misleading the claims being peddled by anti-administration groups that he was supposedly PBBM’s election lawyer in last year’s elections. Garcia clarified he was just one of the defense counsels in the protest filed by then Sen. Marcos who was a candidate contesting the victory of former Vice President Leni Robredo during the May 2016 elections before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).

Subsequently, the Comelec decided to replace the scandal-rocked PCOS machines and replaced them with vote-counting machines (VCMs) that were used starting in the May 2016 presidential elections all the way to last year’s elections. Barring hitches, Garcia targets to use the FASTrAC system by the next presidential elections in May 2028. According to the Comelec, FASTrAC is an upgraded optical mark reader (OMR) that is a paper-based automated elections system, with Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) capabilities.

Garcia informed earlier the public the poll body had already uploaded the TOR for FASTrAC in the Comelec website where interested AES suppliers, whether foreign or local, can access it. The public bidding is open to all qualified contractors, suppliers, and service providers, he added.

For complete transparency, the Comelec chairman stressed: “The whole procurement, bidding process will be live streamed for everybody to see.”

Garcia vows to lead during his seven-year term “implanting credibility, transparency and most especially, inclusivity” of all the Filipino voters. To fulfill their tasks effectively, Garcia promised the seven-man poll body would continue to embrace the “unity” espoused by the Marcos administration. That is without curbing opposing views or ignoring different opinions and criticisms, he quickly reassured the public.

The poll body will live up to its motto: One Mission, One Vision, One Commission, Comelec chairman Garcia enthused.

With 70 million qualified Filipino voters who are the primary “clients” of the poll body, the Comelec chief echoed anew their sworn duty to protect the exercise of the people’s constitutional freedoms, particularly rights of suffrage. “Only a court can deprive a person’s right to vote,” Garcia pointed out.

Acting as en banc chairman, Garcia enumerated the following “wish list” to the President and leaders of Congress of several urgent legislative measures, including programs and projects to further strengthen the country’s electoral system.

For starters, Garcia expressed the wish that the Comelec will be represented even only as “observers” to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting so that they can give inputs on election-related issues and concerns.

Garcia revealed the Comelec has so far drafted 965 pages of the proposed legislative measure on the revisions and updating of the 1985 Omnibus Election Code. Also, Garcia strongly endorsed the proposed new general registration to clean up the Comelec voters’ list before the holding of the May 2028 elections.

The other items in the “wish” list of Comelec include the proposed online voting, especially for overseas Filipinos and the proposed mall voting for the convenience of all voters. Although not requiring any special laws, the Comelec wishes more money to do them.