Your thoughts on automated elections with reference to the current situation.
Before I react, let me just recall how did this issue regarding automated elections start and the procedures done before Smartmatic/TIM won the bid.
The bidding...
Last March 11, 2009 the Comelec en banc approved the Terms of Reference/Request for Proposal (TOR/RFP) for the Solutions, Terms and Conditions for the 2010 poll automation.
TOR/RFP documents contain the Comelec's policies, requirements and technical specifications which prospective bidders will need in order to prepare their bids. TOR/RFP documents come with a P1 million price tag, a non-refundable fee to be paid by interested bidders.
Later on March 30, 2009, the Comelec Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) held a pre-bid conference for the 2010 automation project. The conference was an opportunity for the prospective bidders to seek clarification on any part of the bid documents. At the time of the pre-bid conference, 10 firms have already purchased the TOR/RFP, and among those is Smartmatic/TIM. In fact, Smartmatic/TIM is one of the companies who were first to procure bid documents.
By June 23, 2009 SBAC submitted to the Comelec en banc its report recommending the award of the 2010 poll automation contract to Smartmatic/TIM. Smartmatic/TIM passed all the eligibility, technical and financial requirements. According to SBAC, the consortium had the "lowest calculated responsive bid": P7,191,484,739.48 (well within the approved budget for the contract -- P11,223,618,400.00). Later on, Comelec en banc approved the SBAC's recommendation and SBAC issued a notice of award to Smartmatic/TIM. About Smartmatic and TIM...
Smartmatic International Corp. (Smartmatic) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Smartmatic International Holding, BV, a company organized under the laws of The Netherlands. Smartmatic has organized elections using its electronic voting solutions in Latin America, the Carribean, the United States, and Asia.
Total Information Management Corporation (TIM) is a domestic corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1981. The corporation is engaged in the business of information technology and service provider. These two corporations entered into a joint venture on April 23, 2009.
The dispute...
Before the month of June ends TIM had pulled out its partnership with Smartmatic . An information had leaked that it is due to corporate issues between Smartmatic and TIM ranging from the chairmanship of the board to funding disputes.
Malacañang appealed to Smartmatic and TIM to immediately resolve their differences because it is interfering COMELEC's internal affair. Besides, if Smartmatic and TIM wasn't able to patch things up they could have faced charges for violating Republic Act 9184, the "Act Providing for the Modernization, Standardization and Regulation of the Procurement Activities of the Government and For Other Purposes."
So, just last July 3, 2009, after their 3- hour meeting Comelec chairman Jose Melo said that the two companies had agreed to be 'held liable severally and jointly' as a joint venture entity if they fail to provide services in accordance with the contract.
My reaction...
Whenever I hear the word 'automated' what immediately goes in my mind are 'technology' and 'fast'. I felt so excited when I first heard that our country will have an automated election on the year 2010. Well, I think it is time for our country to change the election system. Having an automated election will make the election process, such as voting and counting of votes, faster than the manual election.
The system should be user-friendly that during the operation a computer literate person won't be of need anymore. Because if it is not user-friendly then it will defeat the definition of technology which is made to finish or do things faster. There is a minimal human intervention during the counting of votes that means the 'sabotage' is unlikely to happen. Besides the Smartmatic/TIM , I think, already know that there should really be a security code embedded inside the machine sealed against human intervention. But if during the election a power interruption or power shortage happen, can the system sustain it? Or worst, what if the system itself will have some errors DURING the election? Well, I think it should be one of the features of the system -- to be able to work without electricity.
Before I react, let me just recall how did this issue regarding automated elections start and the procedures done before Smartmatic/TIM won the bid.
The bidding...
Last March 11, 2009 the Comelec en banc approved the Terms of Reference/Request for Proposal (TOR/RFP) for the Solutions, Terms and Conditions for the 2010 poll automation.
TOR/RFP documents contain the Comelec's policies, requirements and technical specifications which prospective bidders will need in order to prepare their bids. TOR/RFP documents come with a P1 million price tag, a non-refundable fee to be paid by interested bidders.
Later on March 30, 2009, the Comelec Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) held a pre-bid conference for the 2010 automation project. The conference was an opportunity for the prospective bidders to seek clarification on any part of the bid documents. At the time of the pre-bid conference, 10 firms have already purchased the TOR/RFP, and among those is Smartmatic/TIM. In fact, Smartmatic/TIM is one of the companies who were first to procure bid documents.
By June 23, 2009 SBAC submitted to the Comelec en banc its report recommending the award of the 2010 poll automation contract to Smartmatic/TIM. Smartmatic/TIM passed all the eligibility, technical and financial requirements. According to SBAC, the consortium had the "lowest calculated responsive bid": P7,191,484,739.48 (well within the approved budget for the contract -- P11,223,618,400.00). Later on, Comelec en banc approved the SBAC's recommendation and SBAC issued a notice of award to Smartmatic/TIM. About Smartmatic and TIM...
Smartmatic International Corp. (Smartmatic) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Smartmatic International Holding, BV, a company organized under the laws of The Netherlands. Smartmatic has organized elections using its electronic voting solutions in Latin America, the Carribean, the United States, and Asia.
Total Information Management Corporation (TIM) is a domestic corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1981. The corporation is engaged in the business of information technology and service provider. These two corporations entered into a joint venture on April 23, 2009.
The dispute...
Before the month of June ends TIM had pulled out its partnership with Smartmatic . An information had leaked that it is due to corporate issues between Smartmatic and TIM ranging from the chairmanship of the board to funding disputes.
Malacañang appealed to Smartmatic and TIM to immediately resolve their differences because it is interfering COMELEC's internal affair. Besides, if Smartmatic and TIM wasn't able to patch things up they could have faced charges for violating Republic Act 9184, the "Act Providing for the Modernization, Standardization and Regulation of the Procurement Activities of the Government and For Other Purposes."
So, just last July 3, 2009, after their 3- hour meeting Comelec chairman Jose Melo said that the two companies had agreed to be 'held liable severally and jointly' as a joint venture entity if they fail to provide services in accordance with the contract.
My reaction...
Whenever I hear the word 'automated' what immediately goes in my mind are 'technology' and 'fast'. I felt so excited when I first heard that our country will have an automated election on the year 2010. Well, I think it is time for our country to change the election system. Having an automated election will make the election process, such as voting and counting of votes, faster than the manual election.
The system should be user-friendly that during the operation a computer literate person won't be of need anymore. Because if it is not user-friendly then it will defeat the definition of technology which is made to finish or do things faster. There is a minimal human intervention during the counting of votes that means the 'sabotage' is unlikely to happen. Besides the Smartmatic/TIM , I think, already know that there should really be a security code embedded inside the machine sealed against human intervention. But if during the election a power interruption or power shortage happen, can the system sustain it? Or worst, what if the system itself will have some errors DURING the election? Well, I think it should be one of the features of the system -- to be able to work without electricity.
Sources:
www.igma.tv
...automated election...
ReplyDeleteautomated election would really make election faster but as you have said, there are a lot f things to consider, and it should not be influence or "sabotage" with anyone...
right?... hehehe...
I'm excited too... for the automated election...
hehehe...
I've read in an article by the abs-cbnnews.com, the PCOS machines have built in batteries that will last for additional 12 hours ..hehe..so power shortage would not be a problem.(I think)
ReplyDeletehehe
[to tina_]
ReplyDeletewhoa...nice! thanks for the additional information.Ü