Comelec starts deploying ballots for Eleksyon 2025

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has started the deployment of ballots and other election paraphernalia for Eleksyon 2025, starting with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and other far-flung areas.

“Itong gabing ito, hinahanda na natin ‘yung kauna-unahang mga balota na ide-deploy natin sa Bangsamoro. Bangsamoro kasi ang una at ito ay nagrerepresenta ng 3,546 na presinto sa buong Bangsamoro, kasama ang SGA (Special Geographic Area), walong municipalities ‘yon,” Comelec chairperson George Garcia said in an interview before the actual deployment of the ballots.

(Tonight, we are readying our first ballots to be deployed to Bangsamoro. Bangsamoro is the first which represents 3,546 precincts, including Special Geographic Area with eight municipalities.)

Garcia explained that the Comelec’s strategy is to prioritize the delivery of ballots to far-flung areas to ensure that these are all set before the final testing and sealing of ballots and Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) which will take place from May 2 to May 8.

“In the meantime, ang una munang ipapadala ay sa lugar na malalayo hanggang sa lumalapit. Ganon din po ang aming strategy on other election paraphernalia… Dapat ma-distribute namin ang lahat ng mga balota more or less bago matapos ang Abril na ito sa buong Pilipinas,” he said.

(In the meantime, we will send out the ballots to far-flung areas then to the nearer ones. It would be the same strategy for our election paraphernalia. We should have deployed all the ballots more or less until end of April nationwide.)

The waterproof boxes containing the ballots are color-coded for Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

According to Garcia, these “precinct-specific” ballots will be turned over to the Office of the Treasurer of each city and municipality for safekeeping before the elections.

Garcia also noted that there was a recently-passed Comelec resolution which gives the city or municipality treasurer to check the precinct numbers of the ballots.

This, he said, will ensure that the right ballots will be delivered to the right precincts.

Further, Garcia said that the resolution provides that the election officers should inform political parties, candidates, citizens arm, cause-oriented groups about the details of the delivery of the ballots and other election paraphernalia.

The official printed ballots for the upcoming polls have been packed and sealed at the Comelec hub in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

In March, the Comelec finished the printing of over 68 million ballots for the 2025 May polls after the process hit a snag in January following the Supreme Court's (SC) issuance of temporary restraining orders (TROs) against the disqualification of some aspirants for the upcoming elections.

The poll body deputized the National Printing Office in January, allowing the use of the latter's four printing machines and two machines procured by South Korean firm Miru Systems Inc. to ensure the "proper, satisfactory, and timely" completion of the reprinting of the official ballots for the May polls. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.

For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.