By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star)
Link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=569026&publicationSubCategoryId=63
MANILA, Philippines - The National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) has urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to make public its spending for the automated election system (AES), saying that expenditures have already reached P10 billion, the biggest ever.
In a statement, Namfrel said the Comelec should exercise transparency and accountability by disclosing the funds it has spent for the 2010 elections.
“The budget for the elections has been set at P16.5 billion – P11.3 billion for AES... plus the P5.21-billion appropriation,” Namfrel claimed.
The P11.3 billion is earmarked under Republic Act 9525, specifically as supplemental appropriation for the AES.
The P5.21 billion is provided for in the General Appropriations Act of 2010, representing the regular allocation in the national budget every three years that an election is held.
Namfrel expressed concern over the “undue haste” and lapses of the Comelec on the overpriced ballot secrecy folders that the agency almost bought, “accommodation of no penalties to Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp. for late deliveries, propensity for awarding contracts without bidding and appalling disregard for rules on prudent spending that the election body has been engaging in.”
Citing findings of its Bantay Bayan research, Namfrel noted that the Comelec had so far spent some P10 billion for big contracts.
These include the P7.2 billion for the lease of 82,200 precinct count optical (PCOS) scan machines from Smartmatic-TIM; P243 million for 77,000 ballot boxes awarded to Smartmatic without bidding; P28 million for 80,000 units of handheld portable ultraviolet lamps; P75.8 million for 720,000 bottles of indelible ink awarded to Texas Resources Corp.; a P499.1-million contract for trucking and delivery services for official ballots that has also been awarded to Smartmatic; P519-million contract given to Smartmatic for the transport of ballot boxes with PCOS machines to polling centers; P1.5 billion to Unison Joint Venture for the cleansing of computerized voters list; P2.1 million to Copylandia Office System Corp. for nine units of copying machines; and P174.2 million to Noah’s Paper Mills for storage and working area logistics.
Namfrel said the Comelec should keep its accounting books open to scrutiny if it wants the public to trust the automated poll system.
Link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=569026&publicationSubCategoryId=63
MANILA, Philippines - The National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) has urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to make public its spending for the automated election system (AES), saying that expenditures have already reached P10 billion, the biggest ever.
In a statement, Namfrel said the Comelec should exercise transparency and accountability by disclosing the funds it has spent for the 2010 elections.
“The budget for the elections has been set at P16.5 billion – P11.3 billion for AES... plus the P5.21-billion appropriation,” Namfrel claimed.
The P11.3 billion is earmarked under Republic Act 9525, specifically as supplemental appropriation for the AES.
The P5.21 billion is provided for in the General Appropriations Act of 2010, representing the regular allocation in the national budget every three years that an election is held.
Namfrel expressed concern over the “undue haste” and lapses of the Comelec on the overpriced ballot secrecy folders that the agency almost bought, “accommodation of no penalties to Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp. for late deliveries, propensity for awarding contracts without bidding and appalling disregard for rules on prudent spending that the election body has been engaging in.”
Citing findings of its Bantay Bayan research, Namfrel noted that the Comelec had so far spent some P10 billion for big contracts.
These include the P7.2 billion for the lease of 82,200 precinct count optical (PCOS) scan machines from Smartmatic-TIM; P243 million for 77,000 ballot boxes awarded to Smartmatic without bidding; P28 million for 80,000 units of handheld portable ultraviolet lamps; P75.8 million for 720,000 bottles of indelible ink awarded to Texas Resources Corp.; a P499.1-million contract for trucking and delivery services for official ballots that has also been awarded to Smartmatic; P519-million contract given to Smartmatic for the transport of ballot boxes with PCOS machines to polling centers; P1.5 billion to Unison Joint Venture for the cleansing of computerized voters list; P2.1 million to Copylandia Office System Corp. for nine units of copying machines; and P174.2 million to Noah’s Paper Mills for storage and working area logistics.
Namfrel said the Comelec should keep its accounting books open to scrutiny if it wants the public to trust the automated poll system.
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