Foreigners may bid for vote count machines

The Commission on Elections (Comelec), through an en banc resolution promulgated yesterday, has opened the bidding for automated counting machines to be used in the 2004 elections to both Filipino and foreign corporations.

Comelec’s Resolution No. 5929 waived the 60 percent Filipino equity requirement for bidders to allow companies "duly registered and licensed to do business and is actually doing business in the Philippines" to participate in the bidding process.

The resolution was believed to have been prompted by Unysis’ and Sagem’s letters which expressed their respective interest to participate in the bidding for automated counting machines.

Unisys is a foreign corporation doing business in the country while Sagem is a French corporation with a branch office in the Philippines. Both are member companies of the Photokina Group, which won the bidding for the foiled Voters Registration and Identification System (VRIS).

Comelec also announced yesterday that the release of the bidding documents including, among others, the eligibility criteria and Terms of Reference (TOR), was moved to Feb. 14. Meanwhile, the deadline for submission and receipt of bids was set on March 5.

The National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), however, raised its concern over the postponement, saying another delay might threaten the realization of the automation of next year’s polls.

"Considering the various activities involved in the automation ... we are concerned that we are critically squeezing our working time frame into what is now less than 18 months to go before May 2004," the Namfrel said in a statement.

The election watchdog noted that the original schedule for the release of the documents was Jan. 31 but was moved to Feb. 10 and now moved again to Feb. 14.

Moreover, the original agreement for the release of the bidding documents was for Comelec to bid out the different components separately so that when one component is ready, the others will not be delayed.

"This new Resolution calls for another delay ... a total of 14 days from Jan. 31. The TOR for the election counting machines, which is 50 pages long, could have already been disseminated last Jan. 31 as it was available for release at the time," Namfrel claimed.