Comelec seeks funding for VRIS

While the Commission on Elections (Comelec) would like to pursue to the Voter’s Registration and Identification System (VRIS), the lack of funds has made it difficult to implement the P6.5-billion modernization project.

Comelec Chairman Alfredo Benipayo said the poll body still needs the help of Congress in getting sufficient funding.

"I have nothing against the VRIS, it is a very good project. However, it is very difficult for us to enter into a contract right now because we lack the funds," Benipayo said.

Comelec officials recently met with executives of consortium Photokina Marketing Corp., which won the bid for the VRIS project last year.

The Comelec’s seven-member en banc, led by Benipayo, agreed to schedule another meeting with Photokina officials within the month to allow the consortium to make a thorough presentation of how the system works.

Photokina officials described the discussions as "constructive."

"We are thankful to the Comelec for giving the VRIS a second look. All in all, it was a constructive meeting. This is a healthy start not only for both parties, but for the government’s efforts to institute reforms in the electoral system," Photokina said.

The VRIS, a major component of the government’s effort to automate the electoral process, provides a comprehensive and integrated solution for voter registration, including the computerization of the voter’s list.

A secure, tamper-proof voter ID card that will serve as tangible proof of the clean voters’ list shall be issued to some 35 million registered voters.

The Photokina consortium was awarded the project after besting the field by garnering the highest technical score and submitting the lowest price of P6.5 billion. It outbid its closest rival by more than P500 million.

However, former Comelec chairwoman Harriet Demetriou, prior to the end of her term in January, canceled the project because it allegedly incorporated an additional P700 million for its implementation.

The VRIS Project Team, made up of Photokina, Polaroid, Unisys, Headstrong, US-based IBM and French security company Sagem, said it complied with all the rules and won the bidding fairly.

Comelec commissioner Rufino Javier said the government might already hold a legal obligation with Photokina following the poll body’s issue of notice of the award to the consortium.

"I personally believe that even without a contract, there are precedents that tell us the award may prove binding on the part of the Comelec," Javier said.