MANILA - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is considering buying the 97,000 vote counting machines used in the last national elections.

House Committee on Suffrage Chair Sherwin Tugna revealed that it was among the agenda of his panel’s hearing today with the poll body.

“The main issue during the committee hearing of the Committee on Suffrage was whether or not the government will buy the leased 97,000 vote counting machines, which were used last 2016 national and local elections, and use them in the 2019 midterm elections or we refurbish the 80,000 PCOS machines in the custody of Comelec, which were used during the 2010 and 2013 elections.”

Tugna stressed that as chairman of the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, he is fully supportive of the Comelec’s move "towards achieving an effective and efficient execution of elections but this should not be at the expense of the public funds."

Tugna added, "Whatever the decision of the Comelec along with other stakeholders and their advisory councils, we should be more prudent in using public funds because these are taxpayers’ money – we should always protect that."