Saturday, May 10, 2008 Comelec, IT firm ink contract for Maguindanao polls
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Information Technology (IT) firm on Friday signed the P525-million contract that would computerize the elections in Maguindanao.
With this, both parties assured that the scheduled polls will be 99.99 percent accurate.
The contract would also automate the transmission and canvassing processes of the whole Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) elections slated on August 11.
The South American firm will be the provider of the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) technology, which is a touch screen voting machine, where names of the candidates are displayed and to cast vote, the voter has to key in the name of the candidate of his choice on the screen, and his vote automatically gets counted.
"We are giving a 99.99 percent guarantee that the results of the DRE machines will be accurate," said Smartmatic-Sahi official Cesar Quiambao.
The IT company will be deploying 3,050 units in all voting precinct, which is worth P135 million.
The firm will also conduct voters' orientation and mock elections sometime in July.
Melo, on the other hand, related that the Optical Mark Reader (OMR) technology, which will be used in the rest of the region, has yet to be awarded as the technologies of contesting parties, Active Business Solutions Inc. and Avante International, are still being evaluated by the Comelec Technical Working Group and Bids and Awards Committee.
Meanwhile, Comelec Chairman Jose Melo refused to discuss the issue on the cleansing of the voters' list in the Armm noting that it will have to be discussed in another forum.
In an earlier television interview, Melo said they have yet to look into the matter concerning the cleansing of the certified list of voters in the Armm.
Armm has an estimated 1.7 million registered voters.
The certified voters' list contains the name of those who are officially registered voters. The cleansing process includes the removal of the double and triple registrants as well as those who are already dead. (FP/Sunnex)
