The Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) has decided to destroy six million ballots that were initially printed for the upcoming midterm elections. This drastic measure aims to dispel any concerns that these ballots could be misused in the current or future elections. Comelec Chairperson George Garcia emphasized the necessity of this action during a press conference at the Comelec headquarters in Manila, stating that the ballots would be inventoried, audited, and then shredded.
These ballots were intended for various purposes including local absentee voting, overseas voting, test ballots, and voting in the Bangsamoro and Caraga regions. The decision to destroy them comes in the wake of the Supreme Court issuing temporary restraining orders (TROs) that halted Comelec’s enforcement of rulings against five candidates’ certificates of candidacy.
The ongoing printing of ballots at the National Printing Office in Quezon City was temporarily suspended on Tuesday, following the Supreme Court’s orders. Garcia expressed hope that printing could resume as early as Monday, noting that the Elections Management System (EMS) would require two to three days to update ballot faces and serialization.
The delays caused by these legal challenges have pushed back all ballot-related activities, with Garcia admitting that the initial 77-day timeline for completing the printing has already been set back by two weeks. Despite these setbacks, Garcia reassured the public that Comelec has a contingency plan in place and remains in control of the situation, firmly stating that the election date of May 12, as set by the Constitution, will not be postponed.