Comelec eyes arrival of first 20K counting machines for 2025 polls in August

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Sunday it is expecting the initial batch of around 20,000 units of automated counting machines that will be used in the 2025 national and local elections to arrive in the Philippines by August.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said that they are now in “full speed” with the preparations for the next elections, with the manufacturing of the counting machines by South Korean firm Miru Systems also starting two weeks ago.

“Ang hope po natin, itong darating na Agosto, makakapag-deliver na sila ng more or less na initial na 20,000 na units,” Garcia said.

(We hope that they will be able to deliver the initial more or less 20,000 units this coming August.)

“At bago matapos ang Disyembre ay made-deliver ‘yung kabuuan na 110,000 na machines na ating gagamitin. Renta lang ‘yan, gagamitin natin para sa susunod na halalan,” he added.

(Before the end of December, we also expect the total of 110,000 machines to be delivered. We will just rent them and use them for the next election.)

Garcia said that the Comelec could not afford any delays in their timeline so as to not jeopardize the midterm elections in May 2025.

Five months after that, or in October 2025, the poll body is set to conduct the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

In March, Comelec and Miru signed the P17.99-billion contract for the procurement of a new automated election system for the 2025 elections. The contract covered around 110,000 machines and peripherals including ballot boxes, laptops, and other printing requirements for the polls.

Comelec commissioners Rey Bulay, Aimee Ferolino, and Marlon Casquejo also flew to South Korea a few weeks back to check on the automated counting machines that Miru was building for the midterm elections.

Miru officials, led by CEO Jinbok-Chung, also showed the Comelec commissioners the step-by-step manufacturing process.

They were also shown the machine's features that the Comelec had asked for, including the quick way ballots could be put through the machine, the summary of votes which can be displayed on a screen, a shroud on the screen to prevent peeking and the separate container for ballot receipts. —KG, GMA Integrated News