CEBU, Philippines — Several politicians, including an incumbent senator, have expressed their dismay over the discarded election ballots amounting to ?132 million, calling it a waste of public funds.
“Any wastage of government funds, sobra regrettable lalo na sa hirap ng buhay ngayon, suffering sa ekonomiya ng bayan natin,” Senator Risa Hontiveros lamented in an interview.
With the delay in the printing of election ballots, Hontiveros assured that senators, in their oversight functions, would work to ensure that the May 2025 midterm elections proceed as planned. She stressed the importance of holding clean and honest elections.
“Dapat may election pang magaganap kasi inuutos yan ng Constitution regularly para ano yung gusto ng mamamayan sa mga leaders natin sa pang-gobyerno,” Hontiveros added.
Human rights lawyer and Akbayan Party-list nominee Chel Diokno also highlighted the significance of elections and the right to vote.
“Napakahalaga ng ating karapatan na bumoto dahil yan ang puso at kaluluwa ng ating demokrasya. We have to make some adjustments with the discarding of the printed ballots, but I hope we will make sure the voice of the people will be heard despite the delays,” Diokno said.
Former senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan voiced his frustration over the wasted funds and proposed a practical solution to avoid further complications.
“It’s sad because that’s a lot of money wasted. In fact, ang panawagan ko para hindi magkagulo yung balota, ilagay sa huli yung mga nahuli,” Pangilinan said.
He also criticized the alphabetical order used for party-list arrangements, which caused confusion.
“Sabi nila alphabetical, pero sa party-list hindi naman alphabetical, and I disagree na dapat alphabetical lalo na marami sa amin mga dalawampu ang apektado, including me,” he said, noting that even his candidacy for senator is not widely known due to the ongoing issues.
“Marami pa nga’ng hindi nakakalam na kumakandidato ako bilang senador, tapos ito pa ang problema, pabago-bago yung numero,” Pangilinan added.
Retired Colonel Ariel Querubin echoed Pangilinan’s concerns, saying, “Sayang naman yung 132 milyon, pero balita ko, na there was a petition filed na i-retain na yung number nung na-print na, at idagdag nalang yung naka-TRO, para hindi na maistorbo yung mga numbers.”
Querubin, who is listed as number 51 in the senatorial lineup, expressed concerns about the potential changes in ballot numbers.
“Madami na kasing naka pagprint ng tarpaulins. My number na, no. 51. So, possible mag-iba yan. Atras kaming lahat, sana i-consider. Yung mga na-disqualified, tapos isali na sila, dapat nasa huli na sila,” Querubin said, emphasizing that retaining the current order would prevent further waste of taxpayers' money.
Meanwhile, former senator Bam Aquino noted that his ballot number remains unaffected because of his family name, which starts with "A." However, he expressed concern for his partymate, Kiko Pangilinan, and other candidates.
“Pero may kapwa senador tayo na apektado. In fact, yung ka-tandem ko na si Senator Kiko Pangilinan kasi letter P siya, magbabago yung numero niya. Yung magbabagong numero na nag-invest na rin sila sa mga posters, tarps, syempre ayaw natin na masayang, pero pagsinabi na nang Korte Suprema, kailangan tayong sumunod. Ang mahalaga tuloy ang eleksyon, ang ating democratic process,” Aquino said.
The politicians voiced their concerns while attending the Sinulog Festival 2025 in Cebu City on Sunday, January 19. The event, which gathered an estimated crowd of 4 million, also saw the presence of Senator Bong Go, Senator Lito Lapid, Las Piñas Lone District Rep. Camille Villar, former DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos, and Anton Lagdameo, who represented President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (CEBU NEWS)