Comelec to study tapping Miru Systems as ACMs provider for BARMM polls

Commission on Elections Chair George Erwin Garcia —LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will study the possibility of tapping South Korean firm Miru Systems as the provider of automated counting machines (ACMs) to be used if the first parliamentary elections in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) get rescheduled.

This was Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia’s answer when asked if the poll body would lease machines from Miru Systems again.

READ: Miru System: A major shift in voting technology awaits 2025 elections

“I can’t answer that yet because we have to study the final wordings of the law because when it is passed to the president, he has the veto power. He can exercise his veto power and there might be changes in the bill,” Garcia said in Filipino in an ambush interview on Thursday.

The bill rescheduling the BARMM elections from May 12, 2025 to October 13, 2025 was ratified and approved by the bicameral conference committee on Tuesday. It is now awaiting the signature of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Garcia said the Comelec would need 3,200-3,300 ACMs for the BARMM elections.

Miru Systems is the automated election systems provider for the May 2025 elections. Included in Miru’s almost P18-billion contract with the Comelec is the provision of the leased 110,000 ACMs.

Garcia said that while Comelec has good coordination with Miru Systems, they would have to see the performance of the ACMs in the coming May elections.

“Let’s see if the machine will work well. If we have a big problem, why are we going to continue the contract if the same problem persists in Bangsamoro?” he said in Filipino.

READ: Comelec: No manual uploading of SD cards for 2025 polls

He also mentioned that he read in the bill that the BARMM polls, if rescheduled, would be a continuation of the national and local elections. He also said that Comelec does not have to make another procurement since the process may take two to three months.

When asked why the poll body is uncertain about tapping Miru Systems again if they don’t have to make another procurement, Garcia said they would consider the type of machines they would use.

He said that if they choose shading, they would need ballots, while a touch screen type of machine does not need one.

“The pricing will differ and that’s what the commission will discuss if we will continue the contract and what kind of machine we are going to use,” he added.