Comelec inks P243M contact for manufacture of ballot boxes

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday signed a separate P243-million contract with poll machine supplier Smartmatic-TIM for the production of the ballot boxes to be used in the coming May 10 polls. In an interview with reporters, Smartmatic Asia president Cesar Flores said the consortium was awarded with the contract to produce 77,000 ballot boxes for P243,367,740.

Comelec chairman Jose Melo said the contract did not go through a bidding process because it was more practical to entrust it to Smartmatic. "If the manufacturer of the PCOS machine is the same manufacturer as of the ballot boxes, then all the responsibilities will be theirs," Melo said, adding that they expect the consortium to finish the production of the ballot boxes by April 19. Smartmatic-TIM was also awarded the P7.2-billion contract to produce the 82,200 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to be used in the 2010 elections. Flores said the production of the ballot boxes will begin mid-March and end mid-April. He was quick to add, however, that they have already begun buying the materials for the ballot boxes weeks even before they signed the contract. He said they will be using the thermoplastic polymer material Polypropylene in the production of the boxes. - Kim Tan/ RSJ, GMANews.TV