Comelec deletes Eleksyon 2025 files

The Commission on Elections (Comele) on Tuesday deleted the data files containing the ballot faces used in the recent 2025 national and local elections (NLE) on its database. 

Commissioner Rey Bulay, commissioner-in-charge for the Committee on Ballot Printing, led the deletion of the data in the servers of the National Printing Office (NPO) in Quezon City. 

“Today, tinatapos na natin ng huling procedure ng ating printing process. Ang tawag dito ay deletion ng files,” Bulay told reporters. 

(We are concluding today the last procedure for the printing process for the 2025 NLE. This is the file deletion.)

“Lahat ng soft copies ng ballot faces, bawat mukha ng papel na in-isssue namin tulad ng official ballots, VIS, ginamit sa final testing and sealing, mga reprints, ay ine-erase natin sa database servers ng Comelec para zero lahat at di magagamit,” he said. 

(We will delete all the soft copies of the ballot faces and the papers we issued, such as the official ballots, VIS, final testing and sealing, and reprints.)

The process is part of the Comelec’s transparency measures and is in compliance with the Data Protection Act, he added. 

“Bilang pagsunod, ang Commision en banc ay nag-approve ng prosesong ito noong May in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Ito ang aming pagsunod at pag-comply,” said Bulay. 

(In compliance with the Data Protection Act, the Comelec en banc approved this process in May.)

Last month, the Comelec started the destruction of 6.7 million unused official ballots and accountable forms printed for NLE. 

The poll body completed 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 Comelec deputized the NPO in January, allowing the use of the latter's four printing machines and two machines procured by Miru Systems Inc. to ensure the "proper, satisfactory, and timely" completion of the reprinting of the official ballots for the elections. 

The Philippines held its midterm elections on May 12. —VAL, GMA Integrated News

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