Melo on automated polls in 2010: Chances very, very slim

MANILA, Philippines – The chances for automating the 2010 elections are “very, very, very slim," Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair Jose Melo admitted Tuesday, hinting at the possibility of conducting next year’s elections manually. Melo made the statement a day after Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) backed out of the partnership with Barbados-based firm Smartmatic Corp. the consortium that won the bidding for computerizing the 2010 polls. In an interview on dzBB radio, Melo said that discussions with his colleagues raised the possibility of reverting to manual elections because time is running out for another bidding. “Gipit na gipit na tayo. Mahirap ‘yong nagmamadali. Huwag na muna tayong tumawag ng second bidding and let us prepare for manual [Time is running out and it’s hard to do things in haste. Let’s not call for a second bidding and let us prepare for manual elections]," Melo quoted one of his colleagues as saying. Melo, however, did not identify his colleague who made the statement pertaining to manual elections. For joint venture partnerships, the law allows foreigners to bid for projects provided they have local partners representing 60 per cent of the project. The bidding rules also prohibit Smartmatic from getting a replacement local partner to push through with the P11.3 billion poll automation. In Tuesday’s interview, Melo said that Comelec commissioners would sit in an en banc meeting within the day to discuss the poll body’s next steps, including holding TIM criminally liable. “(TIM) can be penalized under Section 65 of Republic Act 9184," he said, referring to the Government Procurement Reform Act. The law penalizes those who “withdraw a bid after it shall have qualified as he lowest calculated bid/ highest rated bid, or refuses to accept and award, without just cause…" Violators will be meted with imprisonment of not less than six years and one day, but not more than 15 years. On Monday, Melo announced that TIM president Jose Antunez told him that TIM was pulling out of the project, citing irreconcilable differences with Smartmatic. The reason for the pull-out remains unclear, but word has leaked that the breakup was caused by corporate issues between Smartmatic and TIM ranging from the chairmanship of the board to funding disputes. Melo then suspended the contract negotiations with Smartmatic-TIM for its failure to submit its joint venture incorporation papers. “Kapag wala pa [If they will fail to submit it] by Friday we may call off the whole thing because it would be too late." In Tuesday’s interview, Melo then asked the public to understand the situation. He added that the Comelec had done everything that it could. "Ginawa namin lahat ng kung ano’ng magagawa namin. Ang preparation namin buong-buo, ready-ng ready na, (tapos) biglang umurong [We did all that we can. Our preparations were already coming in full circle, and then TIM backed out]," he lamented. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV