The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced Tuesday the suspension of ballot printing for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE) after the Supreme Court (SC) issued a temporary restraining order (TRO). The ruling prohibits Comelec from disqualifying former Caloocan City representative Edgar Erice and other aspirants initially barred from the elections.
Following the SC decision, the Comelec convened an urgent meeting to strategize compliance with the court’s directive. The poll body ordered an immediate halt to ballot printing and initiated amendments to critical election systems, including the candidates’ database, election management system (EMS), automated counting machines (ACM), and consolidation and canvassing system (CCS).
As part of its contingency measures, Comelec generated 1,667 revised ballot face templates reflecting the SC decision, conducted an inventory of printed ballots, and evaluated whether changes in the EMS necessitate another trusted build.
Additionally, Comelec postponed the live test for the trusted build of the online voting and counting system (OVCS) and canceled the mock elections scheduled for January 18. Affected ballots will be reprinted once EMS modifications are finalized.
“While these actions are time-consuming and costly, Comelec fully respects the Supreme Court’s decision and recognizes these orders as part of the legal process,” the poll body said in a statement. It assured the public that there is no cause for alarm, emphasizing its full control over the situation.
The SC’s TRO stemmed from a petition by Erice, who sought to enjoin the Comelec from implementing his disqualification. The court ordered Comelec to submit its response within 10 days.
Erice’s disqualification had been affirmed by the Comelec en banc in December for allegedly violating Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code by spreading false and alarming information. However, the SC ruling now mandates that his name, along with others affected by the TRO, be included in the official ballots.
Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia clarified that aspirants with pending cases will remain on the ballot, while those with final and executory disqualification rulings have been excluded.
Ballot printing for the 73 million registered voters initially began on January 6 but has since been delayed due to these recent developments.