DOJ urged to issue hold order vs Smartmatic executives

MANILA, Philippines - A group of volunteers yesterday called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue a hold departure order against officials of the Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp. consortium to ensure their accountability for this Monday’s elections.

Pinoy Marka Ko, a group supporting the candidacy of Liberal Party (LP) presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, said the DOJ should order the officials of Smartmatic-TIM, mostly Venezuelans, to stay put until after the elections is concluded.

“The hold-departure order will ensure that the Smartmatic officials will be held responsible for any disruptions related to the irregularities in the performance of the precinct count optical scans (PCOS) machines that may happen in the May 10 elections,” the group led by Leander Marquez stated in their request.

Among the Smartmatic officials being sought to be placed under the hold departure order are Alberto Castro, project director; Ruliena Marisela Pinate, project manager; Heider Garcia, electoral systems manager; Hecber Cordova, technology manager; Angel Diaz, telecom manager; Arquimedes Machado, operations manager; Miguel Botto, technology assistant; Salvador Sosa, telecom consultant; and Ely Alvarado, the canvassing/consolidating coordinator of Smartmatic.

However, the group did not include Cesar Flores, the spokesman of Smartmatic. Marquez said they are counting on his word that he would voluntarily surrender his passport if there would be a failure of elections.

Flores earlier volunteered to surrender his passport to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to vouch for the integrity of the PCOS machines that would be used in the elections on Monday.

Marquez stressed Monday’s electoral exercise is a matter of national security that should require action from the DOJ to hold the Smartmatic officials accountable should the PCOS machines fail. – With Rainier Allan Ronda