Political adviser wants Smartmatic out in next polls

PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER on political affairs Francis N. Tolentino said that Filipinos should facilitate the elections instead of foreign-owned companies like Smartmatic. “One of the ways to do this is to assert by legislation that service providers should be run and controlled by Filipino citizens. Not the other way around. Kung hindi, kawawa naman tayo (If not, we lose),” said Mr. Tolentino, who has an ongoing electoral protest against Senator Leila M. de Lima. The Venezuelan information technology company Smartmatic has been the service provider of the automated local and national elections from 2008 to 2016. Critics have time and again questioned the company’s operations, such as the alleged script alteration in the 2016 national elections, but the Commission on Elections has cleared Smartmatic.