The 6-million printed ballots intended for the May elections are now rendered useless after the Supreme Court (SC) issued temporary restraining orders (TROs) against the disqualification of former Caloocan City representative Edgar Erice and others.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Wednesday that the ballots can no longer be used.
“Iyung na-imprenta po namin na higit kumulang na anim na milyong balota ay maba-balewala na po lahat sapagkat wala po ‘yung pangalan ng naturang kandidato,” Comelec chairperson George Garcia said.
“And therefore, back to zero po kami,” he added.
Garcia explained that each ballot costs P22, meaning the now-useless ballots have cost the Comelec approximately P132 million.
“Medyo malaki na po. Kung anim na milyon ‘yan, i-multiply ninyo po sa P22 isang balota,” he said.
“Pagkatapos napakadami po namin doon na mga tauhan na pinapa-suweldo with overtime lahat po ‘yun kasi nga po may night shift po kami,” he added.
The SC issued TROs, preventing the Comelec from disqualifying five candidates, which led to the halt of printing operations. The ballots should have included the names of these five aspirants, rendering the 6 million printed ballots unusable.
The Comelec had disqualified Erice in November 2024 for allegedly violating Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code by spreading false and alarming information.
Erice contested the disqualification and requested the SC to issue a TRO to stop the Comelec from implementing the resolution.