By Gabriel Kim Leal
(January 18, 2025) – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday announced that it already made adjustments following the latest temporary restraining orders (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court regarding disqualified candidates.
The Comelec said it has halted the printing of ballots, discarded six million previously printed ones, and updated its database for the 2025 midterm elections.
“In compliance with the five TROs issued by the High Court early this week, the Commission swiftly implemented contingency measures, which include, among others, the immediate cessation of printing of ballots,” said the Comelec in a statement.
The eight candidates were disqualified by the poll body due to various alleged irregularities, including in their certificate of candidacy.
Among them was former Caloocan representative Edgar Erice, whom the Comelec accused of making moves and statements that “disrupt the electoral process.”
Last July, Erice claimed that an unnamed Comelec official received $15 million from South Korean firm Miru Systems, which secured the P18 billion contract to provide services for the upcoming elections.
Erice is running for the same position.
The Comelec said the TROs prompted them to make “timely” adjustments to its election systems and related platforms.
It also announced that the generation of 1,667 ballot templates and serialization of ballots, which were originally set for Monday at its warehouse in Biñan, Laguna, were rescheduled to Tuesday.
Despite the changes, the Comelec assured the public that the midterm elections and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will proceed as planned on May 12.
“We are fully in control of the situation, and that these supervening events which admittedly impacted election preparations and caused delays in ballot production and other preparatory election activities are hurdles the Commission can completely handle, overcome, and resolve,” said the poll body.
(PM)
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