Comelec needs P50B for 2028 polls, says Garcia
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will need around P50 billion for the conduct of the 2028 national and local elections, with the automated counting machines (ACMs) already taking up almost half of the fund, its chair, George Erwin Garcia said on Tuesday.
Garcia made this statement as the Comelec held a stakeholders’ forum and presented the draft of the terms of reference to be used for the automated election systems for the 2028 elections. He noted that the elections will push through, despite speculations, as it has already begun its preparations.
READ: Comelec reaffirms: 2028 elections to push through; preps still ongoing
Garcia said that the poll body is eyeing to use around 125,000 ACMs as there is an increase in registered voters and contingency plans for the machine.
“Given that the number of voters increases, the ACM should improve. We will need around P50 billion. Because there are also honoraria for teachers on the day of election, the training, deployment, and there are increases in prices because of the energy crisis,” Garcia told reporters in an interview.
He noted that the poll body will need around P20 billion for the ACMs, estimating that each machine costs around P155,000.
“We also have to consider other deliverables such as transmission, overseas voting, ballot printing. We will have to spend around P25 billion for that, including the warehousing,” Garcia added.
Meanwhile, Garcia said that the poll body acknowledged the fiscal space of the government, noting that other agencies need more budget, just like the education sector. With this, he said that the Comelec is willing not to insist on a huge amount like that if it will sacrifice the education of many Filipinos.
READ: Impeachment proceedings won’t affect 2028 poll preparations – Comelec
“But I hope the substantial component of the elections will not be sacrificed,” he said, saying that the poll body is challenged on how to balance a smaller budget and the needs of voters during the elections.
He noted that polling precincts generate long queues due to the high number of voters. He said that the poll body cannot reduce the number of voters per precinct as it would equate to more machines to be used and more cost.
Possible budget reduction
Garcia also shared that the Comelec is already preparing for its proposal of P25 billion for the 2027 national budget. He said that the Department of Budget and Management asked them to remove something from the budget when it was presented to them.
Garcia noted that the poll body found a way to deduct P6 billion from its proposed budget, which was originally allocated for the use of voter verification for the elections and other functionalities. He also said that the voter verification alone could cost them around P2 billion already. /cb
