By Rodolfo Dacleson II
(August 26, 2024) – A coalition on Monday called on the government to sever ties with multinational company Smartmatic in future elections to ensure the upholding of democracy in the Philippines.
During the commemoration of National Heroes Day, Bayanihan said the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to disqualify Smartmatic in the bidding process must pave the way for new voting systems to secure the integrity of future elections.
“Ang desisyon na ito ay isang hakbang pasulong sa pagpapalakas ng ating demokrasya, isang karangalang ipinaglaban ng ating mga bayani upang makamit ang kalayaang tinatamasa natin ngayon,” said the coalition in a statement.
Smartmatic was first used in the Philippines for the 2008 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Over the years, various issues arose, including malfunctioning vote-counting machines and precinct-count optical scanners.
“Tapos na ang oras nila, wag na silang ipilit pa. Panahon na upang subukan ang iba pang mga sistema upang masiguro na hindi na ulit mapapahamak o manganganib ang darating na halalan,” added Bayanihan.
The Comelec’s decision, however, was reversed by the Supreme Court last April, citing the “grave abuse of discretion” by the poll body.
ALSO READ: Supreme Court decision on Smartmatic won’t affect 2025 midterm elections, says Comelec
The Comelec barred Smartmatic last November due to bribery allegations involving former Comelec chairperson Andres Bautista.
ALSO READ: Smartmatic executives charged with bribing ex-Comelec chief for voting tech contracts
After the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Comelec reiterated that it won’t affect the contract awarded to South Korean company Miru Systems last February.
Bayanihan urged the public to cooperate in the fight against forces planning to disrupt the country’s democracy.
“Ang kalituhan, kaguluhan, at mga pagsisikap na abalahin ang Comelec na isinasagawa ng iilan ay nakatuon sa pagsisikap na biguin ang Comelec ngayong 2025 na sumubok ng bago at manatili ang Smartmatic sa ating mga halalan,” said the coalition. “Mas higit nating dapat bantayan ang halalan at tuluyan nang putulin ang relasyon sa Smartmatic.”
Our Privacy Commitment
TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.
We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.
Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?
We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:
Where do we get your personal information?
There are several ways we collect your personal information.
Information that you personally provided.
Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
Information we collect during your engagement with us
We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
Information we collect from other sources
Other means of collection of information may be through:
When do we disclose personal information?
There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.
We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.
In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.
How we protect your personal information
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
We also put in effect the following safeguards:
TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.
What are your choices?
We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.
If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.
Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph
What happens when there are changes in our Policy?
From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.
You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.