The Commission on Elections (Comelec) asserted that there was no conflict of interest in the P535-million contract awarded to F2 Logistics, the company linked to businessman Dennis Uy, who contributed to President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign.
“First of all, the question of conflict of interest was looked at, talagang chineck ‘yan ng ating Bids and Awards Committee and it was found that there really was no grounds to say that there was a conflict of interest,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez explained in an ANC interview on Tuesday.
Jimenez also said that the awarding of the contract to F2 Logistics, which will deliver and maintain campaign materials and equipment in some provinces, such as ballots and vote-counting machines, is under procurement law.
“Why it couldn’t be given to another bidder? Because our laws are very strict. You have a bidding, you have public bidding, there are rules that you abide by, and if you have the lowest responsive bid, that’s who you award it to,” said Jimenez.
“And yun po ang nangyari dito. F2 Logistics did proffer the lowest responsive bid and therefore, nag-qualify siya, sa kanya mapupunta yung,” he added.
The Comelec formally awarded the service contract to F2 Logistics last week.
Election watchdog Kontra Daya expressed concern over the Comelec’s choice of F2 Logistic due to the “potential conflict of interest” resulting from Uy’s relationship with Duterte.
According to Kontra Daya convenor Professor Danilo Arao, even though F2 Logistics has a track record in carrying election equipment in the 2019 Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, there will be an issue of “ethics and delicadeza,” the contract for the national elections.
On the other hand, Jimenez said that there must be a sufficient reason to revoke the contract awarded to F2 logistics.
Comelec defends contract with F2 Logistics for Election 2022
“There will have to be some sort of violation in the terms of the contract, some sort of violation by F2 or a change of circumstances, like all of a sudden ‘di na kailangan ng Comelec ang kontrata… but in terms of what’s being floated now, in terms of suggestions being made, again that would not be grounds for rescission,” he said.
Jimenez also clarified that although the F2 Logistics contract includes the delivery of vote-counting machines, he said the machines will still go through the inspection after they are delivered to the destination.
The evaluation of VCMs includes the fact that the machine must print a “zero report” before polling begins to ensure that there are no “pre-loaded results” while it is being transported.
The F2 Logistics contract also does not include the delivery of election paraphernalia containing the election results.
“After the voting, when you have your printed results, and then you have your transmission completed, etcetera, you take the memory cards out, and you give them to the election officer. This is not going through the logistics,” said Jimenez.
“Even at the final point, logistics will not do anything to your supplies because the most important supplies that are really necessary for the integrity of the outcomes are in the actual people of the Comelec. At any point during this whole process, F2 does not have any means of affecting the outcome,” he added.
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