The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has completed printing over 14.7 million ballots—more than a fifth of the 72.1 million needed for the May 12 national and local elections.
Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia reported on Thursday that the printing process, handled by the National Printing Office (NPO) and South Korean automation provider Miru Systems Joint Venture, is progressing smoothly but requires faster verification.
“So far, so good. The printing is orderly and quick, but we need to speed up the verification of ballots,” Garcia said in an interview in Makati City.
To meet the target, NPO printers must produce an additional 27.8 million ballots, while Miru Systems still needs to print 29.4 million more. To accommodate more automated counting machines (ACMs) for ballot verification, Comelec will also utilize the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City.
Payment for “Good” Ballots Only
Comelec will only pay for ballots that pass ACM readability standards. To accelerate verification, the poll body plans to hire 300 more verifiers, adding to the existing 800 working in shifts.
Printing was temporarily halted on January 14 due to a Supreme Court-issued temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of disqualified senatorial candidate Subair Mustapha. This led to the discarding of approximately 6 million printed ballots worth P132 million. Another delay occurred when senatorial candidate Francis Leo Marcos also secured a TRO, though he later withdrew from the race to avoid wasting government funds. Printing resumed on January 27.
Despite the setbacks, Garcia remains confident that all 72 million ballots will be ready by April 14. The workload may also be reduced if the President approves a bill postponing the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections from May to October.