THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said that it will continue the conduct of the second round of bidding for the technology that will be used in the 2025 mid-term elections this coming January 8, 2024, according to Atty. John Rex Laudiangco, Comelec spokesperson.
The conduct of the second round of bidding was decided after a failure of bidding was declared by the poll body December 14 of last year due to lack of requirements submitted by the lone bidder, which is a joint venture of Miru System Co. Ltd.
Despite this development, the Comelec said that Miru can still participate in the second round of bidding.
The Bids and Awards Committee of the Comelec, Laudiangco said, will still scrutinize the documents of the joint venture and other companies that will join in the bidding process.
Also, the Comelec will still not allow Smartmatic to join the bidding after it was proven that the company connived with former Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista in an anomalous contract for the 2016 elections.
This will happen if the company will not be able to secure a Temporary Restraining Order on the disqualification case decision handed down by the Comelec against Smartmatic.