Advocates bring alleged transparency issues in Comelec-Miru venture to SC

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The Right 2 Know, Right Now coalition argues that Miru Systems, despite being a private partner of the government, should be compelled to divulge full details of its venture as an election technology provider

MANILA, Philippines – Freedom of information advocates on Thursday, February 13, filed a petition with the Supreme Court (SC) compelling the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Miru Systems to divulge more information about the P17.9-billion joint venture (JV) for election technology in the May 12, 2025 elections.

The Right 2 Know, Right Now (R2KRN) coalition, whose members include lawyers and journalists, filed a petition for certiorari and mandamus with the SC to declare the Comelec’s alleged failure to act on the petitioners’ request for information as a grave abuse of discretion, and to compel Miru to disclose the information.

Lead counsel Nepo Malaluan said it is the first time the coalition is impeding a private party to be directly responsible for providing information to the public, as opposed to the usual demand for information from the government.

“Our hope is that the Supreme Court will look into our evidence why private parties  under specific circumstances are…. duty bound to respect the people’s right to information,” Malaluan said.

In March 2024, the Comelec entered into a P17.9-billion contract with a joint venture composed of Miru Systems, St. Timothy Construction Corporation (STCC), and Centerpoint Solutions Technologies. 

STCC backed out of the deal in October 2024. The Comelec accepted the withdrawal, pointing to a conflict of interest involving the alleged owners of STCC. The poll body received information that one of the supposed owners would be running for mayor of Pasig City in the upcoming local elections. (EXPLAINER: How St. Timothy’s withdrawal from Miru joint venture impacts 2025 polls)

Among the information R2KRN seeks clarity on is monetary valuation — how much each partner contributed to the joint venture, and how things changed when STCC withdrew.

The coalition claimed that the Comelec only provided “partial” information to its requests, and that the Miru JV’s responses were “evasive.”

They added that the Miru JV has a “direct and independent legal duty to disclose information necessary for transparency and accountability in the… contract in view of the constitutional right to information.”

In a message to Rappler, Comelec Chairman George Garcia maintained that the poll body has provided information to the coalition.

“It’s a matter of record that everything they asked, we immediately provided,” he said.

Meanwhile, Miru was quoted in an ABS-CBN report saying that it addressed the coalition’s request for information with “utmost transparency, as part of our commitment to the integrity of the 2025 elections.”

The report said Miru claimed to follow every directive to comply fully with legal and regulatory standards.

In a dialogue with reporters after the filing, human rights lawyer and Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism editor Milagros Isabel Cristobal said that while there are increasing contracts between the government and the private sector, this one with Miru is “particularly important” as it relates to the elections.

“The very will of the people, the only time we actually exercise our direct right to participate in governance, choosing our leaders, is through the electoral process,” said Cristobal. – Rappler.com