Comelec may tap savings, if needed, amid ballot printing setbacks

 

BIÑAN, Laguna — The Commission on Elections may tap its savings, if necessary, needed amid challenges it faces in printing ballots, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Tuesday.

Garcia said Comelec would do that instead of asking Congress for additional funds.

“As for asking [special appropriations] to Congress, we would definitely not do that … We will look into our savings, and if there are items that could be set aside, we will look into that,” Garcia said during the unveiling of new ballot faces for the 2025 midterm elections at Comelec warehouse.

The ballot for the midterm polls now contains the name of senatorial aspirant Subair Mustapha after the Supreme Court’s (SC) issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO), which barred Comelec from declaring him a nuisance candidate.

The printing of over six million ballots began on Jan. 6. The ballots, however, would have to be discarded since it did not contain Mustapha’s name, incurring a P132 million loss for the election body.  

Despite the substantial financial loss, Garcia said the Comelec’s primary concern is not the budget, but how to fast track the printing of ballots.

The Comelec has deputized the National Printing Office (NPO) to aid in this effort.

“The NPO has yet to charge us, so we are still not talking about as to where we would get the budget and how to get [additional funds],” Garcia said.

“What’s important is that we already begin the printing first,” he added.

The scheduled Jan. 22 printing is expected to be postponed again as the SC granted the TRO of senatorial aspirant Francis Leo Marcos, prompting the Comelec to put his name in the ballot before resuming the printing.