Comelec to review allegations vs. Miru in procurement post-qualification process

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Sunday it will evaluate the accusations against South Korean firm Miru Systems Company Limited during the post-qualification process of the bidding for the procurement of the new automated election system (AES) for the 2025 national and local elections.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Comelec chairman George Garcia said that the poll body will not automatically grant Miru the award even if it is the lone bidder for the procurement project.

Miru would thus undergo a post-qualification evaluation which will prompt the Comelec Special Bids and Awards Committee’s (SBAC) evaluation of the technical requirements set for the 2025 AES, as well as the verification of all the documents that the joint venture led by Miru has submitted.

"Malay namin kung ang mga sinubmit na dokumento ay mga peke pala. Ang mga dokumento hindi pala totoo, ni hindi pala makagawa ng makina ito. ‘Yan lahat ay aalamin natin, lalo na ang mga akusasyon at alegasyon na kumakalat ngayon sa social media,” Garcia said.

(Through this we would know if the documents were fake or if Miru is really capable of making machines. We will determine all that, especially the accusations and allegations that are circulating in social media.)

“Magandang ma-inquire lahat ‘yun sapagkat kapag napatunayan namin na nagsisinungaling at hindi pala puwede, disqualified po ‘yan at therefore, ide-declare namin ang failure of bidding.”

(It's good to inquire about all of that because if we can prove that Miru is lying, then they can be disqualified and therefore, we will declare a failure of bidding.)

In December 2023, election watchdog Democracy Watch Philippines expressed “deep concern” over the participation of Miru in the 2025 poll system procurement, citing the company’s recent "catastrophic failures" and "questioned" projects in Iraq and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Democracy Watch thus urged the Comelec to review Miru’s track record and to only consider vendors that “demonstrably uphold the values of a secure, transparent, and genuinely credible Philippine election.”

Should there be a failure of bidding, Garcia said that the Comelec will be forced to do a negotiated procurement.

“Ibig sabihin, puwede kaming makapamili sa mga nag-e-exist na ganyan. Maaaring sila ay hindi naka-kumpleto ng mga dokumento, halimbawa, pero ‘yun naman pala ay qualified o kaya maayos naman pala at makakapagbigay sa amin ng maayos na serbisyo,” he added.

(It means we can choose among those possible bidders that exist. They may not have completed the documents, but they may be qualified or provide us with good service.)

Miru was earlier deemed eligible to proceed with the bidding process for the 2025 poll system procurement after it complied with all the legal and financial requirements for the project. —KG, GMA Integrated News