End impunity at the polls, OCCUPY COMELEC!

Before his retirement, Commission on Elections Chairman had assured the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms that he would inhibit himself from voting on preparations for the 2016 elections and allow his successor to do so.

Sen. Koko Pimentel, the panel chairman, was justifiably irked that Brilliantes reneged on this promise and voted for what Pimentel called a “midnight deal” - the P300-million negotiated contract of the Commission on Elections with Smartmatic-Total Information Management to conduct examinations, diagnostics and repairs of some 82,000 precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines.  For doing the actual refurbishing and repair work, which will be determined only after the diagnostics, Comelec, I understand, would have to pay a much larger amount to Smartmatic which could run to a billion pesos.