Supreme Court orders comments on TRO petition in poll automation case

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) ordered yesterday the Commission on Elections (Comelec), and Smartmatic Corp. and Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) to comment on a petition seeking to stop the P7.2-billion project to automate next year’s elections.

In a resolution, the SC gave Comelec, and Smartmatic and TIM a maximum of 10 days to answer the allegations of a group calling itself Concerned Citizens’ Movement.

The SC set oral arguments for July 29.

SC spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said a temporary restraining order was not issued because the SC did not believe there was an urgency to grant the relief sought.

“We still have sufficient remedies available to protect what petitioners want to protect,” he said. “It’s not too late.”

However, the parties must proceed with caution in implementing the automation project since the petition has been set for oral argument, he added.

Marquez said the SC sought yesterday the expertise of the UP Computer Center, National Computer Center, and the Information Technology Foundation of the Philippines in deciding the petition.

“During discussion of the justices in the session, names were given and these three were chosen to assess reliability and accuracy of the automation process,” he said.

The petition was filed by lawyers Harry Roque, Joel Butuyan, Romel Bagares, Allan Jones Lardizabal and Gilbert Andres; Immaculada Garcia, Erlinda Mercado, Francisco Alcuaz and Ma. Azucena Maceda; and Alvin Peters and Vencer Crisostomo.

The respondents are the Comelec, Smartmatic and TIM officers, and Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya.   – Edu Punay