The Commission on Elections has sold at least 81,000 unserviceable Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines for more than P12 million.
In a resolution made public Friday, the Comelec en banc adopted the recommendation of its Disposal Committee to award the sale to Microsphere System Technology.
Microsphere submitted the highest financial proposal of P12.264 million for the 81,776 units of PCOS machines, Comelec chairperson George Garcia said.
He said of the 20 companies bought auction documents, eight submitted their auction bids while one was disqualified.
On the other hand, the poll body also approved the sale of the PCOS/VCM plastic bins with cover, yellow metal ballot boxes, and plastic pallets to the RHT Storage Center for P202,800.
The PCOS machines were last used in the 2013 midterm polls.
The machines first used during the May 2010 presidential polls to automate the electoral exercises in the country as provided by Republic Act 9369 or the Poll Automation Law.
These were replaced by the vote counting machines (VCMs), introduced in the 2016 elections.
