Due to a possible election bid, one of the local partners of Miru Systems (Miru) in the Automated Election System (AES) for the 2025 National and Local Elections backed out from the joint venture, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia announced late Thursday, Oct. 3.

In a press conference, Garcia disclosed that St. Timothy Construction Corporation (STCC) has withdrawn from its joint venture with Miru, Integrated Computer Systems, Inc. (ICS), and Center Point Solutions and Technologies, Inc. (CPSTI).

"Nakatanggap kami ng liham mula sa joint venture ng Miru System kung saan kami ay na-inform nila na 'yung pangatlong partner ng koint venture na nanalo sa kontrata sa para sa pag-susupply ng software, hardware, ng printing machines na dinala sa National Printing Office and such other peripherals ay nag-withdraw sa joint venture (We received a letter from the joint venture of Miru System informing us that the third partner of the joint venture, which had won the contract for the supply of software, hardware, and printing machines that were brought to the National Printing Office, as well as other peripherals, has withdrawn from the joint venture)," he said.

"Ininform tayo na tinanggap na ito ng dalawang natitirang partners...Kaagad natin itong inaksyunan at ni-refer sa ating law department upang magkaroon agad ng pag-aaral kung ano ang dapat aksyon ng Comelec, at pag-aralan din kung ano ang mga obligasyon na meron doon sa mga natitirang partners ngayon wala na ang pangatlong partner (We have been informed that the two remaining partners have accepted this...We will immediately take action on this and refer it to our law department to expedite an analysis of what action the Comelec should take, as well as to study what obligations remain on the part of the remaining partners now that the third partner is no longer involved)," he added.

In a statement, Miru said that while STCC played a role in meeting regulatory compliance requirements, they did not contribute to the development of their voting machines or services to be used in the 2025 National and Local Elections.

"We remain steadfast in our preparations and have already delivered substantial milestones within the contract. In fact, our JV has been able to deliver ahead of schedule, with 50,000 Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) already received in the country and undergoing thorough acceptance tests, along with 100 percent of all other election peripherals and brand new state-of-the-art printing machines," Miru said.

"We are also moving forward with the training of technicians and setting up 110 repair hubs nationwide, as well as servers for all data centers," it added.

Miru reiterated that this will not affect their commitment to deliver a better automated system in the service of Filipinos.

According to Garcia, they learned a few days ago that the supposed owner of STCC may run for a local or national post.

"At dahil diyan, ipinaabot ng Commission En Banc ang sentimiyento nito sa MIRU at kanilang mga partners at sinasabi natin na (Because of that, the Commission En Banc relayed its sentiments to Miru and its partners stating that) we will not allow that the integrity of our election will be questioned simply because one of our contracting partners, or the owners will run for the 2025 National and Local Elections," he said.

"We conveyed only two choices. One, that particular partner will have to withdraw from the joint venture, or number two, we might be compelled to disqualify certain candidates because we honestly believe that it is what we call conflict of interest," he added.

Garcia said that they're not worried at this point with STCC's withdrawal given that Miru will still comply with its commitments contained in the contract.

"At this point hindi po kami kinakabahan sapagkat yung compliance nila ay sapat na para ipakita ang kanilang dedikasyon at kakayanan na kung ano yung commitment sa kontrata ay macomply nila (At this point, we're not worried because their compliance is sufficient to show their dedication and capability to fulfill their contractual commitments)," he added.