Palace supports televised bidding for poll automation machines

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Sunday expressed support for the proposals to televise the bidding for the machines that would be used in the 2010 automated national elections. According to Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, a televised bidding is pursuant to the Arroyo administration's commitment to uphold the “principle of transparency” in government procurement projects. “Any move to ensure that there will be transparency in the procurement, especially of poll automation machines, is not only going to be supported by Malacañang, but ‘yun talaga ang gustong mangyari ng Malacañang [that is what Malacañang wanted to happen],” Remonde told government-run dzRB radio in an interview. On Saturday, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chief Jose Melo told Vice President Noli de Castro in a radio interview that he was open to having television stations cover the bidding for the voting and counting machines for the 2010 polls. Melo also said that should the Comelec fails to approve televised bidding, he would distribute to the media video clips of the bidding process for public dissemination. Remonde however said that it would be up to Comelec to set the guidelines for the televised bidding. “I think we should leave that already to the implementing arm, which is the Comelec,” he said. The press secretary also reiterated that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is prioritizing the full automation of the 2010 elections. “Ang ating mahal na Pangulo ay talagang nanindigan for full automation because that is really one of the most important concerns of the President [The President is committed to the full automation of the elections because that is one of her most important concerns],” Remonde said. Last week, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed the supplemental budget before Congress went on a month-long recess. The Comelec had earlier warned that it will be forced to conduct the 2010 elections manually if the budget for the poll automation would not be approved on or before April 1 this year. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV