Comelec: No defiance of law in printing ballots amid SC’s TROs

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday that the poll body did not violate any law in proceeding with printing ballots for Eleksyon 2022 even with pending petitions questioning Comelec's decisions on who should be on the ballot.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez made the position given that the Supreme Court has been issuing temporary restraining orders (TRO) on Comelec decisions delisting party-list groups and other national candidates.

The 2022 national and local elections will be held on May 9.

"Some of the TROs were received after the serialization of ballots was completed. The ballots were essentially marked at that point with [a] serial number. The only thing left to do at that point was to print," Jimenez said.

"There was no defiance [of any ruling or law]. Now, this was the decision of the [Comelec] En Banc to go ahead with the printing, and that is the decision we are following right now.  If there is a ruling from the Supreme Court [to stop ballot printing], then the Comelec stands ready to abide by the lawful ruling of the Supreme Court," he added.

Jimenez said that the Supreme Court has also issued similar TROs on Comelec Resolutions in the past even if the Comelec has already been printing ballots but never ordered the poll body to stop ballot printing.

"Wala pa akong natatanggap o nae-experience na that Supreme Court ordered the stoppage of printing [of ballots]. Considering what is at stake, the timelines we are operating under, the Supreme Court has not issued any such order," Jimenez said.

(I have yet to experience the High Court ordering the stoppage of printing of ballots.)

Jimenez then said that 60,000 ballots for local absentee voting and 79,070 ballots for overseas absentee voting, all of which for manual counting, have been printed so far.

These ballots for manual counting are only for voting candidates for national positions namely President, Vice President, Senators and party-list group. — BM, GMA News