MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday maintained it found no violation in the procurement process for the P1.61-billion delivery contract for Halalan 2022 that led to the selection of F2 Logistics, reportedly owned by President Rodrigo Duterte's major campaign donor Dennis Uy.

• Comelec en banc approves F2 as logistics provider for Halalan 2022

Comelec commissioner Marlon Casquejo told the House committee on suffrage that the en banc unanimously agreed with the opinion of their law department that there was no ground to disqualify F2, based on the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) rules.

"This was thoroughly discussed during the last en banc meeting and the law department opined that there is no such violation as we go over the GPPB rules with regard to the disqualification of prospective bidder," Casquejo told lawmakers.

"The en banc agrees with it unanimously that there were no violations in the procurement process for the delivery of the AES components. That's the stand of the Comelec en banc," he added.

F2 bested 3 other firms for the contract to transport election equipment, peripherals, forms, supplies, and paraphernalia to be used in the May 2022 elections.

• F2 Logistics PH wins bid to transport Comelec supplies for #Halalan2022

In the 4 items that were the subject of the bid, F2 Logistics' bid was not even half of the amount of the budget allotted for the project— a total of P535.99 million, when the maximum contract amount is at P1.61 billion.

Its bid for 3 items ranged from P106 to P123 million when the budget ranged from P288 to P367 million.

Its biggest bid was P186 million for an item in several regions with an allotted budget of P662 million.

Poll watchdog Kontra Daya had raised concerns over the deal with the Davao tycoon's firm, saying that while legal, it is "patently unethical" and "compromises the integrity of the 2022 polls."

• 'Patently unethical': Poll watchdog blasts Comelec's deal with Dennis Uy-linked F2

Uy has yet to admit or deny his alleged ownership of F2, but corporate documents indicate the logistics firm is under his business portfolio.