(PNA file photo)
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday vowed to defend its disqualification ruling against Smartmatic.
According to Comelec chairman George Garcia, they are ready to answer the petition of the service provider supposedly filed before the Supreme Court (SC) seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the poll body’s decision.
Garcia noted that they expect Smartmatic to challenge their November 29 ruling.
“This is expected. The Comelec is willing and ready to defend its position,” he said in a brief statement. “At the end of the day, the SC has the final say on the matter.”
He, however, said they have yet to receive a copy of the petition.
“Wala pa po kami kopya (We still don’t have a copy of the petition),” Garcia said.
On Monday, the Truth and Transparency Trio (TNT Trio) reported that Smartmatic has filed a petition before the High Court seeking the issuance of a TRO.
A copy of Smartmatic's petition, however, remained unavailable, as of press time.
Last month, the Comelec en banc ruled to disallow Smartmatic from joining any public bidding projects related to the elections.
The multinational company was the poll body’s election system service provider from 2010 until the 2022 polls. (PNA)
