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Smartmatic shows gratitude, brings Miss Universe 2008 to RP


Saying that the recent automated elections were nothing but successful, poll machine supplier Smartmatic brought Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza to the Philippines supposedly as a sign of their "gratitude" to the country. At a press conference held Tuesday, Smartmatic Asia president Cesar Flores presented Mendoza as a goodwill ambassador of poll automation and as a "token" of their company's gratitude to all of those who helped them with the Philippine elections. The Venezuelan beauty queen is now Smartmatic's Ambassador for Transparency.

Smartmatic Asia Pacific president Cesar Flores and Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica present Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza as their "token of gratitude" to all those who helped them pull off the country's very first nationwide automated polls. - Kim Tan
"(This is to) remind the people of the simple fact that we can be proud of automation," Flores said during the event at the Peninsula Hotel in Makati City. He said they specifically chose Mendoza because she is an "icon of youth, success, perseverance, and hard work." "She's gonna be better equipped to say thank you and congratulations," he said. Flores said they weren't able to bring Mendoza to the country before the elections because they were "too busy" with the poll preparations. 'Doing the right thing' Mendoza, the fifth Venezuelan to win the Miss Universe contest, congratulated Filipinos for "supporting" each other during the recent polls. "We all have to learn from you... I hope we can continue doing the right thing," she said. Smartmatic Group chief executive officer Antonio Mugica, who was also present during the briefing, said the automated elections proved what Filipinos can accomplish. "The Filipinos just (conducted) the most complex and the most advanced automated elections ever performed in the whole world. (You are a) role model to be followed around the world," Mugica said. He likewise expressed gratitude to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the teachers, watchdogs, the police, military, and other stakeholders for their commitment to poll automation. "(We're) extremely proud to have worked with all of you," he said. Flores said they will visit the Comelec office in Intramuros, Manila and have lunch with members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Poll Automation on Wednesday. Mendoza will be joining the Smartmatic executives in both events. He also said that they plan on donating 50 laptops to a charitable institution and a public school in Tondo as part of the company's efforts to educate the next generation of voters. — RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV
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