The chairperson of the suffrage committee of the House of Representatives has warned Comelec commissioners against any plan of reverting to manual elections next year, saying such proposals  could lead to  impeachment proceedings against them for violations of existing electoral reform laws.

Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, who chairs the House suffrage and electoral reforms panel, pointed out that provisions of Republic Act 8436 require the conduct of automated national and local elections in 2016. 

“Kung hindi natin susundin ‘yan [RA 8436] (If we will not follow it), the Comelec will be violating the law and they will be responsible for it. They (commissioners) open themselves to committing a violation of the law, which may be a basis for an impeachment complaint,” said Castro, a member of the National Unity Party (NUP).

Castro urged the Comelec to resolve pending issues on the bidding of additional automated vote counting machines to avoid delays in the preparations being made for the 2016 elections.

Acting Comelec chairman Christian Robert Lim confirmed during last week’s hearings done by the Castro panel that the poll body’s Bids and Awards Committee have disqualified both Smartmatic-TIM and Indra Sistemas, the only two bidders for the contract to provide  23,000 additional vote counting machines to be used in next year’s elections.

Smartmatic and Indra were disqualified for submitting defective proposals, Lim told the panel.

Castro nixed proposals to conduct a mix of computerized and manual elections if the Comelec runs out of time in preparing for full automation  next year.  

“We do not like to open any loophole which might not be acceptable and could even put a cloud of suspicion on the results of the elections. That’s why if automated, we should automate the entire elections. Let’s forget about the manual or partly manual,”  Castro said.

Castro  warned that  he will hold the commissioners responsible for any delays in the poll preparations for May 2016.

“I am going to throw them (commissioners) the book. I am going to throw to them the responsibility for they will be answerable for whatever adverse consequence that will happen to the elections,” he said.

Castro  also ruled out negotiated deals done by the Comelec with its suppliers.  “It is very disadvantageous for the government because under a negotiated deal, they can go over the allocated budget for the additional 23,000 machines,” Castro noted.