COMELEC Chairman Jose Melo announced that the local partner of Smartmatic International Corp. has quit the poll automation project. Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) has informed the election body about its decision to leave the project.

Chairman Melo said it would be too late to call for another bidding and added that with the development, the 2010 national election will be back to manual counting and procedure.

Chairman Melo said they might consider filing a case againts TIM because of its decision.