Automated Polling Derailed by Controversial Demand

Once again, corruption throttles the efforts of Filipinos to lay the foundations for an election where, we hope, nepotistic goons and hypocritical idiots stand less of a chance of stealing public offices from their rightful incumbents.

Negotiations to install a PhP7.2 billion (USD150 million) election automation system in the Philippines through a collaboration between the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), local entity Total Information Management Corp. (TIM), and foreign partner Smartmatic International Corp. (SIC), are looking to fall apart as TIM President Jose Mari Antunez defecates all over what should have been a done deal by demanding an additional PhP500 million (USD10.4 million) from SIC without any justification, and in violation of the confirmed lowest bid submitted by SIC for the project.

Purportedly, this vomit of greed from Antunez came after SIC opposed the demands of TIM to control all the funding and disbursements to suppliers, which would leave SIC holding the bag if TIM decided to withhold funding for any reason. Perhaps somebody should hand Antunez a dictionary the next time they head to the negotiation table, if there will be a next time, so that he can look up the meaning of "joint venture", something that TIM and SIC supposedly entered into but looks nothing like the partnership we expect from the usage of the term.

Popular knowledge about the shabby treatment of foreign business entities in the Philippines aside, this ridiculous hardball play is reputedly the latest salvo by the enemies of automation to sabotage the project, which ultimately redounds to their benefit. Manual vote counting, open as it is to rampant abuse, most often by stealing the ballot boxes and bribing the vote counters while entertaining the masses with an inane variety show of half-wit local "talent", looks like it will be here to stay come the 2010 presidential elections.

Our dear senators, or at least those who may want to win brownie points with the public by taking a stand on the automation, are crying foul and looking to take strong legal action, or legislative action, or lights-camera-action, against TIM and its alleged shadow puppeteers. Really, though, is that going to get us anywhere? Or is it just a lot of smoke and mirrors to help out the impending campaigns of these politicians?

Such is the skepticism of a disgruntled third-world denizen, who honestly isn't sure if a solution exists in which the general public, disillusioned as they are with everything, can participate effectively. But we sure as heck aren't going to shut up about it anytime soon.