Miru responds to election failure allegations

The lone bidder for 2025 polls Korean firm, Miru Systems, denies allegations of election failures on Tuesday.

This comes after the election watchdogs Kontra Daya and Democratic Watch Philippines urged the Commission on Elections to reassess Miru Systems due to its “catastrophic failures” and “questioned” projects in Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Korean firm stressed in a statement that Iraq and DR Congo have been using their services for several consecutive elections since 2018 which provided them a certificate of satisfaction following their elections.

“The governments of Iraq and the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo have been using our machines for several consecutive elections since 2018 and have continued to show trust in our technology even after their administrations and ruling parties have shifted,”

“The election committee of DR Congo provided us a certificate of satisfaction following their elections and there were also third-party organizations such as the United Nation’s Assistance Mission for Iraq observing all elections in Iraq and declaring them as fair and successful,” the firm said in a statement.

Miru Systems added that the Commission Electorale Nationale Independante or CENI, issued a certification expressing its satisfaction with the equipment they procured.

“The Commission Electorale Nationale Independente (CENI), the body that oversees elections in Congo issued a certification expressing its satisfaction on the equipment that it procured from our company in 2023, including electronic voting devices, ballot, accessories and reconfiguration of parts,”

“The chairman of CENI also confirmed that our company fulfilled the devices and obligations in a diligent, efficient, and economical manner, in accordance with efficient techniques and practices,” Miru said.

Miru Systems Company Limited was declared eligible on 9 January by the Comelec in the Lease of Full Automation Systems with Transparency Audit/Count or FASTrAC project for the 2025 midterm election.

This was after the lone bidder complied with all the legal and financial requirements for the project.

“In the first phase, during our eligibility check, our lone bidder was declared eligible. The second phase involves opening the financial documents. From the financial documents we reviewed earlier, it appears that their bid amounted to P17,988,878,226.55,” Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said.