Comelec suspends BSKE ballot printing due to NPO power interruption

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday suspended the printing of the election ballots for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) following a power service interruption at the National Printing Office (NPO).

Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the service interruption affected the power lines of the NPO’s CCTV and servers. The printing will resume on Tuesday, August 22, at 8 a.m.

“May power supply po ang printers at printing area. Ang nawalan po ng power supply ay ang CCTV at servers kaya minabuti po ng Comelec na ipahinto ang printing activities ng NPO until marestore po ito. Pansamantala po na hindi na itutuloy ngayong hapon ang printing,” Laudiangco told reporters in a Viber message.

(The printers and printing area have power supply but the CCTV and server power lines were affected that’s why Comelec decided to suspend the printing activities until they are restored. The printing services this afternoon will be paused.)

“Bukas po ng 8:00 a.m. itutuloy ang printing ng actual ballots,” he said.

(The printing will resume tomorrow at 8 a.m.)

If it is still unfixed, Laudiangco said the Comelec Education and Information Department will deploy a coverage and documentation team to record and live stream the printing process.

The period for the filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2023 BSKE will run from August 28 to September 2, while the campaign period will run from October 19 to October 28 only. The BSKE will be held on October 30.

Based on Comelec data, there are currently 92 million voters in the country, where 68 million are set to vote for the barangay elections, while 24 million will vote for the SK elections. —NB, GMA Integrated News