ON THE heels of the charges filed by the United States Department of Homeland Security, former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Andres Bautista on Friday, September 22, 2023, denied allegations of receiving bribes from an unnamed poll technology company.
In a series of posts on X, Bautista said there is no truth to allegations that he got a bribe from the said company to supposedly ensure the awarding of the automated election systems (AES) service provider contract.
"Let me be very clear: I did not ask for nor receive any bribe money from Smartmatic or any other entity," said Bautista.
For its part, the perennial AES service provider of the Comelec, Smartmatic International, assured that it has adhered to all existing bidding laws.
It said this includes the multiple contracts it has secured with the poll body since the 2010 polls.
"Smartmatic has been in the Philippines since 2008. In every bidding process and procurement procedure, Smartmatic has adhered to the Philippine Procurement Law and the strict controls that the Philippine Commission on Elections imposes," said Smartmatic in a statement.
The two parties said they are prepared to face any investigation that may be deemed necessary.
"Be that as it may, I am ready to respond to the alleged charges at the proper forum and time," said Bautista.
"Smartmatic always has and always will cooperate with authorities," said the multinational company.
Bautista served as Comelec chairman from April 2015 to October 2017.
According to reports, the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has filed a money laundering case against Bautista.
The said money laundered through US accounts allegedly came from the bribe money from top executives of an unnamed poll technology company.
Comelec reacts
For its part, the current Comelec leadership said the case serves as an "eye-opener" for the poll body, but that they are withholding any judgments.
In a brief statement, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the poll body is interested in the outcome of the case against Bautista.
"At this point, the presumption of innocence stands. We would closely monitor this development, most especially the nature and weight of evidence to be presented in court," said Garcia.
As for the forthcoming 2025 national and local elections, the poll chief assured that they intend to make the AES bidding process fully transparent.
"The right thing to do is to make it transparent, inclusive, and fair. That is, that everybody is afforded a level playing field, thereby ensuring equal chance and opportunity to all. Nothing should be hidden to public scrutiny with only the best interest of the people in mind," said Garcia.
Asked if Smartmatic will be prevented from joining the bidding process due to the case, he said it is still premature.
"(It would be) premature at this point. Let's wait until the start of the bidding process," said Garcia. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)