Comelec: Ballot printing done, set for deployment

The Commission on Elections on Thursday said it has finished the printing of the official manual ballots and other forms needed for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on 30 October.

In a virtual press briefing, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said around 92 million ballots were printed, 480,000 of which have been delivered to the Comelec office.

"Kanina po ay pormal nang tinapos ng Comelec at National Printing Office ang aming pagpi-print ng ating mga manual ballots, manual election returns, certificate of canvass, statement of votes, at summary statement of votes," he said.

Laudiangco noted that the ballots are being prepared for distribution nationwide starting in October.

He said the the Comelec will prioritize the delivery of the official BSKE ballots to the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The earlier batch of manual ballots will also be deployed in Batanes while the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon will be scheduled last, he added.

The Comelec said about 68,197,135 ballots have been earmarked for the barangay elections, and 23,857,839 ballots for the Sangguniang Kabataan polls.

Also, around 6,000 test ballots were printed for the pilot automated BSKE in select areas in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, and Quezon City.

Laudiangco likewise said that automated election ballots are set to be printed in the coming days.

They are eying to complete the printing within a week.

The Comelec previously announced the conduct of automated BSKE polls in Barangay Pasong Tamo in Quezon City's 6th District, which has about 60,766 voters, along with Barangay Paliparan III and Barangay Zone II in Dasmariñas City, with 51,435 and 1,475 registered voters, respectively.

It targets to print a total of 86,165 official ballots for the barangay elections and 27,511 ballots for the SK elections for these three villages.

In a media interview on Thursday, Philippine Army Commanding Chief, LtGen. Roy Galido, said that the military along with the Philippine National Police is prepared to provide maximum security to ensure safe, orderly and peaceful elections nationwide, particularly in the poll hotspots-declared areas.

Galido urged the public to report untoward incidents related to this year's BSK elections.

"If we want peaceful elections in your areas, then let's cooperate. It's not only the military or the police making sure that violence will not erupt but everybody should cooperate with us," he said.