Smartmatic contract requires it to release presidential results in 2 days; but Comelec spokesman James Jimenez told foreign press it’s 2 to 3 days
April 16, 2010 | Posted by raissa robles Why is the Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez arbitrarily extending the terms of Smartmatic’s automation delivery contract?
In a forum with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) this Thursday April 15, Jimenez was quoted by Associated Press as saying:
We are looking at two to three days for the release of the national data … but as far as the proclamation of president and vice president (is concerned), you have to wait for Congress.
Here’s the link to AP’s story quoting Jimenez.
This is definitely not what a Smartmatic officer, Miguel Avila, told
FOCAP last February. Avila said Smartmatic’s contract with Comelec requires them to release results for national officials including the presidency “IN TWO DAYS” after election day.
I find it very very curious that top officials of Smartmatic and Comelec have been SNUBBING FOCAP since the start of this year. They have chosen to send lower level functionaries like Avila and Jimenez.
What’s one more day, you might ask. Isn’t the whole point of automation to quickly deliver results to avoid unholy mischief? In electronic counting you count in milliseconds. In electronic counting, one more day is an eternity to do evil.
Categories: 2010 election, poll automation | 
Tags: Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, FOCAP, Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines | 
2 Comments »
Hi. I’m not extending the terms of Smartmatic’s delivery contract. While at the FOCAP meeting, I repeatedly emphasized that national results will be available within 48 hours from the time of elections. However, when I did reference other, more conservative, estimates that allowed for results to still be coming in three days after elections – primarily because of differences in actual close-of-voting times throughout the country. I am sorry if I gave the wrong impression, but I stand by what I’ve been saying since early last year: that we will know who the next president should be within 48 hours after the close of voting.
I also apologize for being the one who appeared before the FOCAP yesterday. This unworthy representation, unfortunately, received an invitation – personally communicated to him – from Mr. Jim Gomez. This low level functionary, therefore, was there not to represent the higher level individuals reporters and correspondents might have wanted to see, but to represent the Commission on Elections, as has been his wont, since being designated as that agency’s official spokesman.