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.