ON THE WITHDRAWAL OF TIM

The recent withdrawal of TIM from its partnership with Smartmatic is the latest in a series of disturbing events in the course of the Comelec's efforts to automate the 2010 polls. This surprising development raises questions regarding the reasons behind TIM's break up with Smartmatic, and emphasizes the need to scrutinize the personalities behind the groups to whom the Comelec has awarded the contract for the automation of our elections.

It is fortunate, however, that this problem has cropped up this early, while the Comelec is still in a position to address the problem. It is now incumbent upon the Comelec to find a way--within the parameters of the law--to continue implementation of poll automation, such as pilot-testing poll automation in two highly urbanized areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao--which it failed to do when it awarded the contract to Smartmatic/TIM.

Should the Comelec determine that poll automation is now unfeasible given time constraints, it should now prepare itself for the manual implementation of the elections. What is important, as I have always stressed, is that the elections--manual or automated--are clean, honest, transparent, and accurately reflect the will of the people.