The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) announced that ballot printing for the upcoming elections will resume on Wednesday, January 22, after being delayed due to a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court.
In an exclusive interview with DZRH's Special on Saturday (SOS), COMELEC Chairman Atty. George Erwin Garcia confirmed the resumption of ballot printing this coming week.
"Sa miyerkules magsisimula na muli sa pagiimprenta ng mga balota [ang COMELEC]," Garcia stated.
The recent TRO mandates the COMELEC to include one senatorial candidate and four local candidates who were previously disqualified by the poll body.
COMELEC Chairman Garcia mentioned that upon receiving the TRO, the first order he issued was to halt the printing of ballots, even before the agency had officially received a copy of the document.
He further explained that he issued this order to prevent the possibility of printing too many ballots, which could ultimately be rendered invalid.
"Ang number 2 ay ipinag-utos po kaagad nating mag-imbentaryo, proper accounting nung lahat ng naimprenta nang balota upang maireport sa presensya rin po ng political parties, ng citizens arm, at ng Commission on Audit para maireport ilan ba talaga naimprenta natin. Kasi babayaran po natin ‘yan," said Garcia.
Moreover, the COMELEC began sending and transporting the initial batch of ballots to their warehouse yesterday, where they will undergo melting, as these ballots, which were printed earlier, will now be discarded but will be recycled.
"Kasi po lahat-lahat po ng mga balotang naimprenta na mababalewala ay ‘yan po ay hindi susunugin, hindi rin po ‘yan is-shred na kundi tutunawin po natin para ppwede pang magamit," he added.
Garcia assured the public that each ballot is serialized, a process the COMELEC has long explained, where every ballot is individually marked.
He also mentioned that the machines will not accept ballots that have been discarded, as they will not contain the names of candidates specified by the Supreme Court.
"22 pesos ang atin pong gastos bawat balota na naimprenta natin at ito ay mano-manong chinicheck ng ating mga tauhan kung ang naimprentang balota ay tatanggapin ng machine para mabilang," said Garcia.
"68.4 million po kasi ang ating botante subalit ang ating pong inimprenta ay 71 million sa buong Pilipinas kasi kasama po diyan ‘yung tinatawag na final testing ballots, local absentee voting at overseas absentee voting," he further added.
Furthermore, Garcia noted that Chavit Singson will be removed from the list of candidates, leading to adjustments in the numbers of other candidates in the election. Based on his estimation, around eight candidates will be affected.
The former Ilocos Sur Governor previously withdrew his candidacy for the senatorial seat, and as a result, he will be removed from the list.
"Mula po sa letter M, ‘yun po kasi ‘yung first name ng nakakuha ng TRO, hanggang letter S dahil doon sa Singson, mukha pong may pagbabago sila dahil madadagdagan po ng isa ang bilang ng kanilang numero," Garcia explained.
Garcia reiterated that this is part of a legal process and that it is the agency's obligation to comply with any orders from the Supreme Court.
He further stated that the elections will proceed as scheduled on May 12 of this year, and this will not affect the election results.
Meanwhile, Garcia mentioned that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections will also proceed as scheduled, and the ballots for this election have already been printed.
"Ang polisiya po natin eversince, kung ano ‘yung mas malalayong lugar, ‘yun po ‘yung inuuna namin sa pagiimprenta upang maagang makatapos para po hindi tayo maunsyami sa pagtransport po nitong mga election paraphernalia, lalo na po ‘yung balota," Garcia explained.
The 2.3 million ballots for the Bangsamoro National and Local Positions, as well as the 2.3 million ballots for the Parliamentary elections, were among the first to be printed and completed.
