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Comelec starts printing of nearly 57M ballots for May polls
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday afternoon finally began the printing of nearly 57 million ballots for the May 9 local and national elections, three weeks behind the original schedule.
The Comelec originally set the printing of ballots last January 26, but due to problems in the list of candidates and the software to be used, it was moved to February 1 and then to February 8.
The round-the-clock printing of official ballots at the National Printing Office (NPO) started at past 2 p.m.
The Comelec has to print 56,772,230 ballots for the automated polls, including 54,363,844 pieces for each voters registered in the Philippines.
The figure also includes 1,189,350 pieces for overseas absentee voters and ballots for testing.
A total of 223,611 ballots will also be printed for the manual elections, which will be done for the local absentee voting and some areas overseas.
All ballots are due to be printed by April 25.
Even as the printing had been pushed back, Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista remained confident that the poll body will meet the deadline.
Bautista said that the ballots for this year's elections are shorter, coming in at 8.5 inches by 20 inches, about seven inches less than in previous polls.
The front face of the ballot will bare the six names for each presidential and vice presidential candidates and 115 party-list candidates.
The names of 50 senatorial candidates will be printed on the back of the ballot, where the choices for local candidates for each cities, municipalities and congressional districts will be placed.
Bautista said fewer names of candidates will be printed on the ballot for this year's elections.
"Ito ang dahilan kung bakit maiimprenta natin lahat ng balota by April 25, which is the original deadline," he said in a press conference at the NPO.
"So siguro, by this, 'yung mga agam-agam ng iba na sinasabing hindi natin mami-meet 'yung deadline, gusto lang naming ipakita kung bakit kami naniniwala na ating makukuha o makakamit 'yung ating deadline na April 25 for our ballots," he added. —ALG, GMA News
