Comelec eyes awarding poll online system, results transmission deals before 2026 ends

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said it is eyeing awarding the Online Voting, Counting System (OVCS) and Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETS) deals before the year ends, as part of its preparations for the 2028 national elections.

Comelec chairperson George Garcia bared the poll body’s plans for the 2028 polls during the Stakeholders Forum and Presentation of OVCS and SETS in Manila.

“Makapag-award tayo nang hindi ilalampas ang July at pinaka-latest first week ng August. O kaya naman, depende pa kasi minsan nakikaran ng failure of bidding. Kapag failure of bidding, tatlong buwan ulit,” Comelec chairperson George Garcia said.

(We can make the award no later than July or, at the latest, the first week of August. However, it still depends because sometimes there is a failure of bidding. When that happens, it will take another three months again.

“So sinasabi natin at least man lang makapag-award tayo bago matapos ang taon na ito para sa OVCS at transmission so that ang counting machines masimula natin sa pagdating ng August at magco-procure na rin kami,” he added.

(So, at the very least, we should be able to award the contract before the end of this year for OVCS and transmission, so that we can start the deployment of the counting machines by August, and we will also proceed with the procurement.)

Garcia explained the poll body can conduct a procurement short of award, or an early procurement activity, which starts the bidding process before the approval of the budget.

“Ang plano naming strategy ngayon, which is hindi pa ginawa before, kung ang kailangan nating machines ay 130,000, magpapadeliver muna kami sa middle of 2027 next year ng mga 10,000,” he said.

(Our strategy, which is done for the first time, is that if we need 130,000 machines, we will first arrange for the delivery of around 10,000 units by the middle of 2027 next year.)

This would allow the poll body to conduct stress and temperature tests to determine the machine’s conditions.

Overseas internet voting will continue

Garcia said overseas internet voting will continue amid the petition filed challenging the online overseas voting process.

"As far as we're concerned, as of this time, tuloy na tuloy ang internet voting para sa mga kababayan natin abroad (internet voting for our countrymen abroad will push through),” he said.

He also shared that Comelec received the resolution filed by the Supreme Court, ordering the poll body and the Department of Foreign Affairs to submit their comments on a motion seeking to intervene in a pending petition challenging the online overseas voting process.

“Willing naman kaming i-defend ang ating naging posisyon na sinasabi ng Comelec na mismo ang batas ay nag-authorize kay Comelec na pumunta sa ibang modes of voting,” Garcia said.

(We are willing to defend our position wherein the law says Comelec is authorized to conduct other modes of voting.)

“At the same time, gusto naming i-presenta rin sa Supreme Court na naging magandang outcome ng internet voting natin at lalong-lalong ang pinagmamalaki naming 100% na nag-tally ang result ng internet at ang manually counted results ng boto ng ating mga kababayan,” he added.

(At the same time, we also want to present the positive outcome of internet voting to the Supreme Court. There was also a 100% match between the internet results and the manually counted votes of our citizens.)

The motion to intervene was filed by the National People's Initiative Council Committee and God's People's Initiative in connection with a petition filed by PDP-Laban in June 2025.

The intervenors asked the SC to issue a writ of preliminary mandatory injunction directing the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee (JCOC) to convene and issue a certification approving or disapproving the engagement of the Miru system for the national and local elections.

The MIRU system refers to a proposed or contracted election technology platform used for managing and processing online or automated voting for national and local elections in the Philippines.

Further, the intervenors also sought to direct the JCOC to investigate SMS Global and Sequent Tech Inc. over alleged violations of the rights of overseas Filipino worker voters, particularly on compliance with mandatory voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) requirements. —RF, GMA News