The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has made significant progress in its ballot printing efforts for the upcoming May 12 national and local elections, having printed 27 million ballots since late January. This number represents 37 percent of the total 72,107,420 ballots needed for the polls. Chairperson George Erwin Garcia expressed satisfaction with the progress, noting that the daily printing targets are being exceeded. He anticipates that the entire printing process will be completed by mid to late March, specifically by March 19, provided the machines continue to perform well.
To expedite the verification process, Comelec has established a facility at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City. This facility is equipped with 250 automated counting machines and 500 verifiers to handle both machine and manual verification. Garcia highlighted the efficiency of this setup, estimating that they could verify up to two million ballots per day, split between the Amoranto facility and the National Printing Office, achieving a total of 20 million ballots in just 10 days.
Despite the withdrawal of some candidates, including health advocate Dr. Willie Ong and AGRI party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee, Comelec will not alter the printed ballots. Garcia stated that the printing must continue without changes to the 27 million ballots already produced. Votes for withdrawn candidates will be considered stray and will not be counted. Dr. Ong, who is battling sarcoma and undergoing treatment abroad, withdrew his candidacy to focus on his health, while Lee cited a lack of campaign machinery as his reason for withdrawal. Comelec has also stated that they will accept withdrawal statements from candidates unable to submit them personally, provided they include a doctor’s certification.