THE Commission on Elections will use the less expensive Optical Mark Reader technology, part manual, part electronic system of voting in 2010 elections, officials said yesterday.

In an interview, Chairman Jose Melo said the poll body is preparing to conduct the bidding process for the acquisition of OMR machines and other devices that will be used to automate thepresidential elections.

The use of OMR was recommended by the poll body?s Advisory Council on Automation, said Melo, a former Supreme Court justice.

Poll officials had preferred to use the Direct Recording Electronic system, citing its efficiency and reliability compared to the OMR when both were tested in certain areas during the Aug. 11, 2008 Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao elections.

DRE is fully automated and voters need only to use a touch screen to vote for their candidates. OMR required voters to choose their candidates by shading the corresponding blank ovals on a piece of paper that will be handed to them.Machines will do the counting and canvassing of votes.

But Melo said later that they were open to adopting other technology like OMR which was less expensive after lawmakers rejected Comelec?s poll automation budget of P21 billion citing lack of funds.

Immediately after revising its plan, Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the Comelec will make do with P11.5-billion supplemental budget for the nationwide automation of the elections.

?It has now been the position of the Comelec, we will use OMR as recommended by the Advisory Council,? Sarmiento said.

The Comelec?s Advisory Council is composed of experts from the Science and Technology Department, Commission on Information and Communications Technology, University of the Philippines College of Engineering and the Church-backed Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting.

Asked if DRE system can still find its way to 2010 elections, Melo said it was still possible but only if DRE proponents could reduce the price.

?As of now, we are prepared to use OMR unless they (DRE proponents) would offer same price,? Melo said. He, however, declined to give details as to the prices of the OMR and DRE machines. Arlie Calalo