6 million printed ballots transferred to Laguna warehouse

MANILA, Philippines — To ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has started moving the six million printed ballots for the May 2025 midterm elections to a warehouse in Laguna.

Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said the transport of the six million printed ballots is being done in batches.

Laudiangco explained that the ballots are being transferred from the National Printing Office (NPO) to the Comelec warehouse in Laguna for safekeeping, assuring the public that the Comelec conducted thorough inventory and quality checks of the ballots before initiating their transport.

So far, approximately 300,000 ballots have been successfully transported to the Laguna warehouse, according to Comelec reports.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia previously reported that the inventory process is a necessary step as part of the payment process with the NPO.

The six million printed ballots are set to be disposed of following a Supreme Court (SC) order that allowed the inclusion of the names of previously disqualified senatorial aspirants on the ballots.

Laudiangco added that the poll body has decided to use paper melting for disposal after the National Archives of the Philippines prohibited the use of micro-shredding for recycling purposes.

This, according to Laudiangco, underscores Comelec’s commitment to ensuring the security and proper handling of election materials while complying with regulatory standards for disposal.

Meanwhile, the SC ordered the Comelec to include in the ballots the names of three more local candidates.

Marie Grace David, who is running for vice mayor of Limay town in Bataan; Mary Dominique Oñate, who was declared a nuisance candidate for mayor of Palompom, Leyte, and Aldrin Sta. Ana for Bocaue, Bulacan were ordered included in the ballots.

Printing halted

The Comelec also revealed that the printing of ballots for the May 2025 midterm polls won’t resume on Monday.

“Ballot reprinting cannot happen by Monday,” Garcia announced in a Viber message to reporters.

Laudiangco disclosed that the ballot printing cannot proceed because they have yet to undertake the Trusted Build of the Automated Election System.

“It appears that we will not proceed with the Trusted Build due to the extensive changes and amendments in the Election Management System (EMS),” he explained in Filipino.

“It is not just a simple program to add names. The EMS of Comelec doesn’t have an add feature. Even if we want to add, it’s not something that can be done just like that,” he added.

Laudiangco said there is a need to update the EMS to include the names of senatorial aspirant Subair Mustapha and others, in compliance with the SC’s order.

The Comelec was supposed to conduct the Trusted Build today, Jan. 18, but Laudiangco said the commission hoped to do it by Monday if they can complete the EMS amendments by the end of the day.

By Tuesday, Laudiangco said, the Comelec may possibly start generating the ballot face template, after which they could proceed with the process of serializing each ballot.

Yesterday, the Comelec received a copy of the temporary restraining order issued by the SC last Tuesday, which prevents the exclusion of Mustapha’s name, as well as the names of local candidates Charles Savellano, Chito Bulatao Balintay, Edgar Erice and Florendo de Ramos Ritualo Jr., from the ballot.