The decision stemmed from a petition seeking to disqualify Smartmatic from taking part in the bidding for the poll system to be used in the 2025 national elections filed before Comelec.
Zacarian Sarao is a political reporter for INQUIRER.net, focusing on local politics in the Philippines. With a strong background in political journalism, Zacarian covers a wide range of topics including election updates, government policies, and local issues affecting communities. His work has also been featured in Asia International News, further establishing his expertise in political reporting.