Comelec: Preparations are now underway for 2028 polls
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is gearing up for the 2028 national and local elections, with preparations underway as early as August last year.
This was announced by Comelec commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr. on Wednesday, 27 months before the highly-anticipated elections which will elect new leaders, especially the president and vice president of the country.
According to Maceda, he was appointed as the head of the poll body’s steering committee for the elections in August 2025. He added that they also chose executive director Teopisto Elnas Jr. as the head of the Project Management Office.
READ: Comelec reminds solons: COC filing for 2028 polls is less than 2 years away
“Notwithstanding our responsibilities this year, come September with the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, come November for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections and the different special elections or proceedings, we are not losing sight of our equally, not more important deliverable which is to have another trustworthy, fair and credible elections in 2028,” Maceda said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.
Maceda noted that under the leadership of Comelec chief George Erwin Garcia, the poll body has started the preparations two years before the actual elections. Starting March this year, Maceda said that they will start crafting the terms of reference for their procurement contracts.
The commissioner added that they will begin the procurement process for the transmission and overseas voting and counting system this year as they are already included in the budget for this year. Meanwhile, they will procure automated counting machines (ACMs), which he said are the “heart of the automated election system,” next year, as aligned with the 2027 budget.
“Next year after we have been exposed or we have been educated by the available options present, we’re going to ensure that we will procure another effective provider for [the] 2028 elections. Worry about everything else but don’t worry, your vote is going to be counted,” Maceda noted.
South Korea-based Miru Systems was the provider of over 110,000 ACMs for the 2025 midterm elections, which had a P17.9 billion contract with Comelec on a lease basis. Meanwhile, the joint venture of Ardent Networks and iOne Resources provided the Secure Electronic Transmission Services in the last elections.
READ: ACM errors top complaints in 2025 midterm polls
Acknowledging concerns, gaps
During the 2025 midterm elections, several voters complained of long queues in poll precincts, mismatch of actual votes and voting receipts from ACMs, machine glitches, paper jams, overvoting due to ink smudge, among others.
As Maceda acknowledged the issues raised in the last elections, he said that they had a post-election evaluation to determine more room for improvement.
“Even if there is only one or two [malfunctioning machines], we will not allow it to happen again… we had an evaluation and we looked at where we can improve and you can be assured that that will go in the writing of terms of reference,” Maceda said in a mix of Filipino and English. /jpv
