Comelec still owes smartmatic P300 million

MANILA, Philippines - Six months after the May 10 elections, the Commission on Elections still owes Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) some P300 million.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the agency has not paid the firm because the post-election evaluation is not yet complete.

The Comelec had forged a contract with Smartmatic-TIM for P7.2 billion to supply the precinct count optical scan machines that were used in the May 10 elections.         

Sarmiento said the Comelec is still waiting for the evaluation report of the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES), which was tapped to assess the conduct of the country’s first automated elections.

The Comelec could withhold the balance of payment if the post-election audit proves that Smartmatic-TIM had been remiss in its responsibility to the poll body.

IFES, a firm based in Washington, provides technical assistance to countries around the world pertaining to the conduct of elections to ensure citizen participation.

The evaluation started last September and IFES is expected to submit its reports before the end of this month.