The arrival of the last batch of the automated counting machines (ACMs) for the 2025 polls on Wednesday, November 27, at the Comelec warehouse in Biñan, Laguna. (Photo from the Office of the Comelec Chairman)
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has finally received the last batch of automated counting machines (ACMs) from Miru Systems in South Korea.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday that the remaining 9,680 ACMs from the 110,620 machines were delivered to the Comelec warehouse in Biñan, Laguna. Garcia said that the delivery of Miru Systems was ahead of its committed schedule in December.
“What’s good about this early delivery in the commission’s warehouse is that we can finish conducting the hardware acceptance test early,” Garcia said in Filipino during an ambush interview.
READ: Election officers share experience during demonstration of ACMs
The P17.99 billion contract signed by Comelec and Miru Systems, the tapped automated elections systems provider, in March includes the delivery of over 110,000 voting machines, election management systems, consolidation and canvassing systems (CCS), ballot printing, ballot boxes, and other peripherals.
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“Let’s remember that all the 110,620 machines will undergo hardware acceptance tests. The test will determine what is missing or if the components are complete in a machine, and at the same time, it will test all the machines’ features,” Garcia added in Filipino.
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Garcia noted that around 60,000 to 70,000 have already undergone hardware acceptance tests (HAT) in the Comelec warehouse. He also said that the tests will be concluded before December ends.
Garcia said that no major issues have been found upon testing, except on minor issues such as audio problems in headphones in which he said can be easily adjusted.
“The rejection committee’s standards are high… So far, nothing has been rejected because they are compliant in their contract,” Garcia stated in a mix of Filipino and English.
READ: Comelec begins hardware acceptance tests for counting machines
Garcia shared that Pro V & V, the international certifying body for the machines, will soon begin its certification. He also said that the Department of Science and Technology will conduct a parallel testing on the machines.
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Section 11 of Republic Act No. 9369 or the Election Automation Law of 2007 states that the Technical Evaluation Committee shall certify through a chosen international certifying body that the automated election system “is operating properly, securely, and accurately.”