MANILA, Philippines — One of the local companies tapped by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in a joint venture for the 2025 midterm polls withdrew on Thursday after the Comelec learned that some of its owners were themselves candidates.
“It is not acceptable that a partner of our provider [for the supply of ACMs] will run in the elections because it would compromise the integrity of the elections,” said Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia in a press conference, referring to St. Timothy Construction Corp. ACMs are the automated counting machines.
Garcia said the Commission referred the matter to its Law Department for further study.
The poll chief assured, however, that the withdrawal of St. Timothy would not affect the production of the ACMs because Miru Systems, the South Korean-based service provider, has two other partners.
St. Timothy, as Commissioner Rey Bulay’s estimate, has some 2 percent contribution to the funding for the production of the machines.
Garcia assured that the production of the ACMs, which was now at 60 percent, would continue and would be delivered as agreed.
Last February, the Comelec awarded to Miru Systems the P18 billion contract for the lease of 110,000 customized ACMs and other peripheral services that will be used in the 2025 polls.
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