22 hours Ago By Ambo Delilan
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Tuesday, April 29, dismissed as false and misleading claims linking city hall’s P2.1-billion e-governance project with a company tied to a technology firm contracted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Benitez said SMS Global Technologies Incorporated , which Comelec tapped, is involved only in overseas online voting systems for national candidates and is not connected to local polls.
SMS Global owns city hall’s contractor, High Infra Data Corporation. “Their system cannot operate within the Philippines. SMS and High Infra Data have no access to Comelec data, infrastructure, or systems,” Benitez said.
He confirmed that the winning bidder for Bacolod’s e-governance and command center project – High Infra Data – has ties to Comelec’s overseas voting service provider. Former mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia, Benitez’s rival in the congressional race for Bacolod’s lone district, earlier raised concerns about a possible conflict of interest , arguing that High Infra Data and SMS were essentially the same entity. He pointed out that High Infra Data secured the contract for Bacolod’s digital infrastructure, while SMS handles Comelec’s overseas voting operations.
Leonardia has asked the Comelec to allow a manual count of the votes in Bacolod, saying the situation could compromise the integrity of the election results in the city. He fears High Infra and SMS Global could gain access to the automated voting system. He also questioned the timing of the P2.
1-billion contract awarded to High Infra Data for the city hall project. His lawyer, Jose Jireh Alimon, filed a petition with the Comelec on April 25, seeking a manual counting of votes in Bacolod on May 12. Leonardia said they are prepared to bring the matter to the Supreme Court.
Comelec–Negros Island Region Director Lionel Marco Castillano said, “I presume such a request is now with the Comelec en banc. Let us wait for the en banc to decide on the merit of the request/petition.” Benitez, for his part, said he has no problem with a manual count of the votes if the Comelec approves it.
Benitez’s spokesman, Caesar Distrito, said the mayor would not oppose Leonardia’s petition, but noted that a law on automated elections requires that counting and canvassing be done electronically, with manual counting permitted only in specific cases. Distrito said that based on a Supreme Court ruling, the conduct of a manual count can only be done upon a clear showing of technical failure in the automated process. “The law and jurisprudence do not provide for a manual count based solely on allegations of conflict of interest or procurement irregularities involving an alleged service provider, unless these result in actual, demonstrable failure or unreliability of the automated system,” he said.
Meanwhile, Alimon told Rappler on Wednesday, April 30, that they were also set to file a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman–Visayas regarding the P2.1-billion project. “There is evidence as to the conflict of interest issue,” Alimon said.
The project was awarded to High Infra Data through Ordinance No.1089-2025, approved by the city council on February 27. It involves the development of e-governance systems and a centralized command center, including lamp poles with dynamic cameras for traffic and flood control.
Through a public-private partnership (PPP), the P2.1-billion project will be paid by the city government in installments over a 10-year period, with P125 million as the first payment due a year after the signing of the contract. Bacolod councilors who voted for the ordinance include Cindy Rojas, Em Ang, Al Victor Espino, Vladimir Gonzalez, Jason Isidro Villarosa, Jesus Raymundo Puentevella, Simplicia Distrito, Celia Matea Flor, Psyche Marie Sy, and Lady Gles Gonzales-Pallen.
Puentevella is now running for vice mayor under Benitez’s team. Except for Rojas, Distrito, and Pallen, the approving councilors are seeking reelection under Benitez’s Team Asenso. Rojas’ husband, Bobby, and Distrito’s son, Caesar, are running for councilor in their place and are also aligned with the Benitez group.
– Rappler.com.
