Article by:
Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
NILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has no hand in the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) selection of a potential supplier of election equipment for the 2022 national and local elections, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
This, after poll watchdog Kontra Daya questioned the participation of F2 Logistics Philippines, the bidder with the lowest calculated bid in the PHP1.61-billion contract to transport the May 2022 polls paraphernalia, due to its alleged link to Davao tycoon Dennis Uy.
In a virtual press conference, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Comelec has the “sole” authority to pick the potential equipment supplier for the 2022 polls.
“The Comelec has the sole power to conduct elections, including [power] to award ‘yung mga kontratang gaya nito (contracts like that). Wala pong kinalaman ang Presidente diyan. Comelec po ‘yan (The President has nothing to do with that. That’s up to Comelec),” Roque said.
The Comelec’s special bids and awards committee (SBAC) announced in July that F2 Logistics is the bidder with the lowest calculated bid for the PHP1.61 billion project for the deployment of election equipment, peripherals, forms, suppliers, paraphernalia and warehousing for next year’s elections.
The Comelec later clarified that the logistics contract is not yet awarded to F2 Logistics.
Kontra Daya earlier said the awarding of the contract to F2 Logistics is “unacceptable” since the firm is allegedly connected with Uy who it said donated PHP30 million for Duterte’s 2016 presidential bid.
The Comelec on Monday already directed its SBAC to look into the supposed links of F2 Logistics to Uy.
Resumption of voter registration up to Comelec
Meantime, Roque said the Comelec also has the final say on the conduct of voter registration in areas placed under stricter community quarantine.
Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) can only make a recommendation that may be considered by Comelec.
“Ang bagay-bagay po na iyan ay nasa hurisdiksyon ng Comelec, hindi ng Presidente (Those matters are within the jurisdiction of the Comelec, not of the President). So perhaps, the IATF can make recommendations but ultimately, even the IATF po, hindi pupuwedeng magdikta sa Comelec, desisyon po iyan ng (cannot dictate the Comelec because that’s the decision of the) Comelec as a constitutional body,” he said.
The Comelec earlier suspended the voter registration and issuance of voter’s certification in areas placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ (MECQ) due to the threat posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
The nationwide voter registration will end on Sept. 30. (PNA)
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