GUS LAGMAN
THE technology recommended by the Comelec Advisory Council (CAC) in 2008 for the 2010 elections was optical mark recognition (OMR). Given that recommendation, the bidding procedure conducted in mid-2009 (for the 2010 elections) specified only that technology, thereby barring the entry of non-OMR solutions, some of which are known today to be much better ones. In the bidding conducted in 2009, Smartmatic’s precinct count optical scan (PCOS) won the contract, amid-controversies in the conduct of the bidding.