MANILA, Philippines - Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes on Wednesday said that the body still owes voting machine maker Smartmatic International at least P180 million.
“We have not yet settled the balance, which is 10 percent of the P1.8 billion,†Brillantes said.
He explained that the Comelec needs to review first Smartmatic's performance in the last national elections before they pay the company the balance.
“We want to see if they have done their job. That is the purpose of having a retention fee,†Brillantes said.
Brillantes noted that they have not decided yet on when they are scheduled to pay Smartmatic of the balance.
“(That is) until we have checked everything. I think they are not in a hurry and we are still checking many things,†he said.
The poll body had purchased more than 80,000 Precinct Count Optical Scan machines, which were earlier leased by the Comelec in the amount of P1.8 billion. The machines were used in the 2010 presidential polls.