Local Comelec officers tasked to deliver poll materials in precincts

FILE PHOTO: Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia. | PHOTO: Official Facebook page of COMELEC

MANILA, Philippines — The local officers of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be tasked to deliver election materials to polling precincts for the 2025 elections, according to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Wednesday.

During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum in Malate, Manila, Garcia said that a private entity used to deliver the election materials up to the polling precincts, or schools in the previous elections.

“A private entity used to deploy materials up to the actual precincts until issues arose. Now, local Comelec officers will receive the materials,” Garcia said in Filipino.

“They will ensure the deployment of all the materials in every [polling] precinct, and every school,” Garcia added in Filipino.

READ: F2 Logistics named lowest bidder for 2025 election materials deployment

Garcia noted that F2 Logistics will have to “fully” comply with the terms of reference with the poll body. F2 Logistics was awarded as the lowest calculated bidder for the procurement of deployment of materials for the 2025 elections.

“They need to always coordinate with the Comelec, especially to ensure that the materials will not be misplaced, especially that they will not deploy them to the [polling] precincts. The materials will be deployed up to municipal levels only. They can’t deploy up to the [polling] precincts because this is the role of the local Comelec,” Garcia stated.

Previously, F2 Logistics, the Comelec’s cargo partner in transporting election materials for the 2022 elections, was tasked to explain after election documents were found in a vacant lot in Cavite.

Then Comelec Commissioner Garcia said that the ballots seen in video and photos that gained traction in social media were found to be training ballots from Tondo, and not the official ballots used for the 2022 elections.

READ: Comelec asks logistics firm to explain after discovery of poll materials in Cavite vacant lot

Meanwhile, the Comelec chief also shared that the poll body is eyeing to deploy the printed ballots in the polling precincts two weeks before the May elections. He said that the deployment should “not too early, but not too late” since the printed ballots might be stolen if they are delivered early.

He added that the printed ballots must not be delivered too late since the materials must be handed over to the teachers for final testing and sealing one week before the election.

However, he mentioned that the Comelec has started deploying non-accountable materials such as machine batteries and ballot boxes.