The Philippine Online Chronicles

Election paraphernalia make up most of the automated election process and it is where the Comelec seems to be having more problems than expected.

With only less than a month before the country's first automated polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the major agency tasked to ensure clean, honest elections in the country is again in hot water over questionable bids and procurement of election paraphernalia.

Certain sectors are now proposing the creation of a pre-qualification panel by the Commission on Audit (COA) to work with the Comelec in all the pending and future logistics contracts for the upcoming elections. Despite the hassle, Comelec claims that they are for the national and local elections.

Former SC justice and Comelec Chair Jose Melo did his own version of Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s “I am sorry” spiel over the P689.7-million ballot secrecy folder controversy. He admitted the Comelec en banc and the agency’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) had a "lapse in judgment" in recommending that One Time Carbon (OTC) Paper Supply be awarded with the contract for the supply and delivery of 1,815,000 pieces of 25-inch-long ballot secrecy folders.

‘Overpriced’ folders

Each special folder, colored royal blue, measured 9.5 inches wide, 28 inches long, and 0.65 mm thick, and was priced at P380 each. The special folder made of hard plastic or polypropylene sheet material bears the Comelec logo and the words "ballot secrecy folder." The number of folders to be purchased exceeded the total number that may actually be used during the elections.

When the issue of overpriced folders became public, Comelec immediately issued a resolution canceling the award saying it was “extravagant beyond the ordinary needs of the Commission." The poll body decided to use ordinary folders instead since the law does not require a folder and merely stated the need for secrecy.

But the Comelec BAC said nothing was anomalous in the awarding of the contract to OTC as it went through the usual procurement process. BAC chair Maria Lea Alarkon said the Comelec en banc was properly informed of the process and that the committee found the price – P380 per folder -- to be reasonable. She said it was the Comelec that ordered them to purchase the folders and provided the product specifications last Feb. 17.

Alarkon said in a report that the same government law on procurement used by Comelec to award poll machine supplier Smartmatic-TIM with the contract for the manufacture of the ballot boxes was used by the BAC in the procurement of folders.  An investigation is ongoing to determine who should be liable for the contract in question.

Malacanang accepted Melo’s apology and in defense of the poll body said that “not a single cent has been paid for the contract.” Palace officials said in a Manila Bulletin report that “there is no reason for the national government to doubt the Comelec’s actions in ensuring the ballot’s integrity.”

Meanwhile, Comelec officials asserted that if it is proven that there was a deliberate attempt to mar the contract, those responsible would be "dealt with according to the law," specifically Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that depending on the results of the investigation, it is "possible" that some BAC personnel might be "removed or transferred.” Melo said the controversy happened due to "poor staff work." The BAC is composed of Alarkon, vice chairman Allen Francis Abaya, and members Maria Norina Tangaro-Casingal, Martin Niedo, and Antonio Santella.

But Melo emphasized that the entire commission was mistaken in approving the purchase of P700 million worth of plastic ballot secrecy folders.

According to a report, OTC, a manufacturer and importer of paper with office at 451 M. dela Cruz St., Sta. Quiteria, Calookan City is registered with the Department of Trade and Industry under the name of a Willy Kwok Young.  OTC was previously awarded with a contract for the thumbprint and fingerprint takers used for taking biometrics.

OTC manager Young said his company will file an appeal and bring the case to court. He said they already paid P34 million for its performance bond. Young said “the company has already allotted half a billion pesos since it has already bought materials needed to produce plastic folders as well as the molds.”

UV lamps supplied by the same company

But Comelec is now in a quandary because the company in question, OTC Paper Supply, threatened to withdraw its bid for the P30-million ultraviolet lamp contract. Comelec needed to procure UV lamps for reading the special marks in the ballots for authenticity.

The UV ink readers of PCOS machines from Smartmatic-TIM failed to read the markings on the ballot because “these were not properly aligned and the ink used was not dense enough,” Inquirer.net reported. Comelec was earlier criticized for its different explanations on the disabling of the UV reader of the PCOS machines.

The poll body will now have to buy 70,000 hand-held ultraviolet lamps. Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said public bidding had already started for the purchase of the UV lamps. In the overseas absentee voting (OAV), Larrazabal said UV lamps were used to authenticate ballots.

Meanwhile, Comelec will hold another public bidding for the indelible ink to be used in the polls. The first bidding failed after the winner, Texas Resources Co., failed to meet the commission’s specifications. The poll body gave assurance that an effective indelible ink would be available on May 10 despite the planned re-bidding and delay in purchase.

As if its many woes are not yet enough, Comelec faced its most serious problem so far – two PCOS machines initially failed to read the ballots affected with cold and humid weather in Hong Kong during the second day of the absentee voting for OFWs. The problem was solved within an hour but the incident cast more doubt on Comelec’s efficiency in handling the automated polls.

Other logistical problems

As election day nears, the poll body is faced with more logistical problems. The inter-city transfer of printed ballots from the National Printing Office (NPO) to the Philippine Postal Office (Philpost) was suspended because of the staggering transfer cost of P92 million. Melo said in a Philstar report that they are still looking for another place to store the ballots. Regarding the priniting of ballots, Comelec is confident that they will meet the April 25 deadline. More than 50 million ballots still needs to be printed.

Meanwhile, out of the 77,000 ballot boxes needed, 30,000 are here in the country and stored at the Philpost. As of today, 800 ballot boxes were delivered to strategic hubs and deliveries for other units will start this week, a report .

Other logistical materials like the folders and marking pens will be sent out later this month.

To keep the public informed on the progress of the election preparation, the poll body is setting up a monitoring facility where Comelec officials, together with the media, can monitor the progress of the delivery of the various election materials.

Photo from Kontradaya. org.