Comelec: Eleksyon 2022 items found in vacant lot ‘training ballots’

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has ordered contractor F2 Logistics to explain the Eleksyon 2022 paraphernalia found in a vacant lot in Cavite, which it clarified were training materials and not official ballots.

According to Comelec Commissioner George Garcia, the poll body found that while the boxes were for official ballots, the documents inside were training ballots.

“Ito po ay mga training ballots, meaning ‘yung mga balota na ginamit natin nung tayo ay nagte-training,” he said in a radio interview on Sunday.

“At the same time, nagfa-final testing at sealing at mga ilang dokumento, pero hindi po ito mga original na balota, at wala ring mga election returns na tinatawag,” he continued.

[These are training ballots, meaning these are the ballots we used during the training and at the same time the final testing and sealing. These are not original ballots.]

The remarks were made after boxes used for official ballots, election paraphernalia, and voting receipts were found discarded in a vacant lot in Amadeo, Cavite.

One of the boxes was said to have contained a vote paper audit trail, or the receipt showing the candidate whom the votes shaded, along with envelopes for election returns.

A label showed Barangay 51, City of Manila First District, the Jose Rizal Elementary School in Tayuman Pingkian Street polling center in Tondo, Manila, and the number of clustered precincts.

“Ang inaalam na lang namin, kung bakit ba naman nadala nung F2 Logistics o nung amin pong provider kung bakit nadala mula sa Tondo papunta doon sa Cavite, at bakit naandon lang sa isang tabi,” Garcia said.

“Nakikita ko ‘yung chain of custody, diyan natin madaling ma-pinpoint kung sino ang may liability but in the meantime, ayaw na muna natin i-preempt ang ginagawang investigation,” he continued.

[We are looking into why F2 Logistics or our provider brought those from Tondo to Cavite, and why they were left in the area. I see the chain of custody, that is where we can easily pinpoint who has the liability, but in the meantime, we do not want to preempt the investigation.]

Garcia also questioned why the documents were handed to F2 Logistics when they were supposed to be kept in the precincts or in the offices of the school principals after being used.

Garcia added that Comelec has told F2 Logistics to explain, and the agency will be releasing additional information regarding the matter through a briefing on Monday, May 23, 2022.

“At this point, lahat ay preliminaries—‘yung mga binabanggit natin na mga pangalan o binabanggit natin na kompanya kalimbawa, at this point ay presumed pa na lahat inosente at wala pa namang liability,” he explained.

[At this point everything is preliminary—the names and the company being mentioned, at this point are presumed to be innocent and have no liability.] — BM, GMA News