A recent hearing of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms raised serious questions about the ongoing bidding process after a resource speaker claimed that Miru Systems had submitted a prototype machine for the post-qualification process, explicitly forbidden by Philippine laws.
Former Caloocan Representative Edgar Erice criticized Miru for presenting a prototype for Comelec’s evaluation, stating that it violates the law.
Republic Act 9369, or the Election Automation Law of 2007, explicitly requires that “the system procured must have demonstrated capability and been successfully used in a prior electoral exercise here or abroad.” Erice, now the regional chair of the political party Aksyon Demokratiko, warned that if Comelec allows the use of the untested prototype, then it can be subject to a legal suit which could result in the Court ruling against it and consequently jeopardizing the elections.