Smartmatic to Comelec: Junk DQ plea

MANILA, Philippines — Technology provider Smartmatic has urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to dismiss a petition to disqualify the firm from joining the bidding process for the 2025 automated elections.

The petition against Smartmatic was filed by former Department of Information and Communications Technology chief Eliseo Mijares Rio Jr., Augusto Cadelina Lagman, Franklin Fayloga Ysaac and Leonardo Olivera Odono last June 15.

The petitioners alleged that Smartmatic “failed to comply with certain minimum system capabilities that resulted in serious and grave irregularities in the transmission and receipt of election return” during the 2022 elections.

“These claims (by petitioners) are unfounded, presented as facts but lacking evidence. The petitioners have not demonstrated a single vote discrepancy,” Smartmatic said in a statement yesterday.

The firm maintained that its automated system’s “accuracy has been consistently proven, validated by Comelec’s records, random manual audits and independent audits and recounts by watchdogs like LENTE and PPCRV,” referring to the Legal Network for Truthful Elections and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting.

Smartmatic claimed that the petitioners’ objectives are political and commercial, accusing them of “attempting to delegitimize the government” and “supporting Smartmatic competitors.”

Smartmatic said that in its 23-year history, “no Smartmatic company has ever been indicted in… any country in the world with respect to any election or contract.”