A lawmaker on Sunday expressed dismay after reports that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) might purchase brand-new voting machines instead of repairing the old ones that the government had bought from the consortium Smartmatic-Total Information Management (Smartmatic-TIM) Corp. for P1.8 billion.

Rep. Rodolfo Albano 3rd of Isabela’s First District warned the poll body to avoid being pressured into pushing through with awarding automation deals for the next year’s elections to the consortium.