Comelec: Ballot printing for 2025 polls set on Jan. 25

Commission on Elections Chairperson George Erwin Garcia (INQUIRER / NINO JESUS ORBETA)
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday said it is scheduled to resume the printing of ballots for the 2025 midterm elections on Saturday, Jan. 25, if the Supreme Court (SC) does not grant any temporary restraining orders (TRO) for a Senate or party-list seat aspirant.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Wednesday said the resumption of printing schedule was decided during an en banc session at Museo de Intramuros.
“We will continue the printing of ballots this coming Saturday,” Garcia said in an ambush interview after the en banc session.
The resumption of ballot printing was supposed to be carried out on Wednesday, Jan. 22, but the TRO issued by SC on Tuesday favoring Norman Mangusin (popularly known as Francis Leo Marcos) stalled the printing anew.
“We will respect, comply, and follow the Honorable Supreme Court,” Garcia said of SC’s TRO for Mangusin.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Comelec will add Mangusin’s names in the election management system, generate new ballot faces which also have to be checked and verified before the serialization process.
Only when these processes are done could the printing of ballots begin.
Last November 2024, the Comelec declared Mangusin a nuisance candidate, reversing the election body ruling in 2021 that allowed him to run.
Mangusin is the second senatorial aspirant favored by the SC, so far.
Senatorial aspirant Subair Mustapha was already added in the latest ballot face of the Comelec after being favored by the high court.
The printing of over six million ballots already began on Jan. 6, but these would have to be discarded since it did not contain Mustapha’s name and cost Comelec P132 million.