The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday said it is seriously considering exercising its option to purchase the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCO machines used during the 2010 presidential elections for the upcoming May 2013 national and local polls.
Appearing before the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said the decision was based on consensus among Comelec commissioners and for the practical reason that the poll body had already paid 67 percent of the contract price for the PCOS machines.
Brillantes said the Comelec can purchase the PCOS machines for the 2013 and 2016 polls by paying the balance of 33 percent, or about P1.8 billion, under its contract with Smartmatic, a private company which owns the PCOS machines.
“Due to the time constraint, restricted budget and the lower cost entailed by buying the old PCOS than buying new machines, we are seriously thinking of employing our options to purchase the machines,” Brillantes said.
His statement elicited several questions from the members of the committee headed by Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr.
Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez said that the machines, if the purchase would push through, should not be under the custody of Comelec.
“Putting the machines under the sole custody of the Comelec would raise the same issues on tampering with the election results,” Golez said as he stressed the need to shield and insulate the poll body from this concern to preserve its credibility.
On the other hand, Valenzuela City Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo was interested on the source codes to be used, who is keeping them and who will design the source codes to be used in next year’s elections.
“We also wanted to know if the PCOS machines are still technologically current,” he said noting the rapid advancement of technology and that the machines will have been three years old by 2013.
According to Brillantes, the PCOS machines are not yet obsolete and will probably be kept in the Smartmatic warehouse where they are currently being maintained.
To preserve the integrity of the machines once the election process starts, he suggested that all political parties be invited to have their respective representatives present in the warehouse until such time the machines will be transported to the poll precincts.
For the source codes, Brillantes said that the machines would utilize the same ones used during the 2010 elections.
“The source codes are currently safeguarded at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and will be enhanced according to the parameters of the 2013 elections,” he said.
Brillantes said that Comelec has until March 14, 2012 to decide and enter into a contract with Smartmatic for the purchase of the PCOS. (PNA)
