Members of the DepEd Academics Union maintain a press convention Thursday morning. Screengrab from the group’s Fb video
MANILA, Philippines — The Division of Training Academics Union (DTU) on Thursday known as the federal government for the elimination of the voting machine supplier Smartmatic to make sure truthful elections within the Philippines, citing previous voting incidents from the supplier.
The lecturers group urged the federal government to make sure that election programs are “absolutely useful and safe.”
“The Union requires the erasure of Smartmatic because the nation’s ballot service supplier, making certain that lecturers can perform their election duties successfully and securely,” stated DTU in an announcement.
DTU recalled the mishaps public lecturers encountered throughout the 2022 elections resembling dysfunctional vote counting machines (VCMs) that prompted delays amongst voters.
“Previous experiences with Smartmatic’s VCMs have raised vital considerations, notably throughout the 2022 elections the place over 1,800 machines malfunctioned, affecting roughly 1.1 million voters. These points not solely prompted delays but in addition undermined public confidence within the electoral course of,” DTU added.
READ: Defective VCMs: Greater than only a hiccup in 2022 polls
The Fee on Elections (Comelec) introduced in Might 2022 that the nationwide and native elections in that 12 months noticed the quickest transmission of voting for the reason that nation shifted to automated voting, regardless of reviews of voters who waited for hours to forged their votes resulting from malfunctioning of the VCMs.
Smartmatic was Comelec’s former supplier of vote-counting machines because the ballot physique disqualified the corporate from collaborating within the bidding for the 2025 midterm automated elections – “to protect the integrity of the electoral course of,” based on Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia in November 2023.
Additional, DTU stated that the current indictment of a U.S jury towards former Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista and Smartmatic executives for bribery and cash laundering within the 2016 elections casts doubts on their credibility and integrity as an election service supplier for the nation.
In accordance with the U.S Justice Division, a sure Roger Martinez, a Venezuelan citizen and Florida resident who occurred to be a co-founder of Smartmatic and Jorge Vasquez and others “prompted at the least $1 million in bribes to be paid to Bautista.
READ: Ex-Comelec chief Andy Bautista going through US bribery costs
DTU additionally underscored the position of the general public faculty lecturers in serving as election employees and upholding impartiality for democratic electoral course of.
Your subscription couldn’t be saved. Please strive once more.
Your subscription has been profitable.
“DTU encourages all lecturers, election employees, and the general public to stay vigilant because the sanctity of our democratic course of will depend on every of us,” stated DTU.
