Comelec Chairperson George Garcia (2nd from left) leads a press briefing at the National Printing Office in Quezon City on Saturday (March 15, 2025) following the printing over 68 million ballots for the May 12 elections. Also in photo are (from left) Commissioner Ernesto Maceda, NPO Director Revsee Escobedo and Commissioner Noli Pipo. (PNA photo by Bong Patinio)
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Saturday that it has successfully printed more than 68 million official ballots for the upcoming national and local elections scheduled for May 12.
During a press briefing, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia confirmed that a total of 68,542,564 ballots had been printed since operations resumed on January 27 at the National Printing Office (NPO) in Quezon City.
“First and foremost, I want to extend my gratitude to the NPO. Despite the initial challenges we faced when we began printing on January 27, we remained committed to our goal of completing the process by March 15,” Garcia stated.
Despite encountering obstacles, Garcia affirmed that Comelec delivered on its commitment.
“We have fulfilled our promise, and we are immensely grateful to the NPO, its staff, and the leadership of Undersecretary Revsee Escobedo. This accomplishment proves that we can overcome challenges and achieve our objectives,” he said.
Garcia clarified that the printed ballots do not include test ballots or those designated for the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), which has been rescheduled to October.
“All printed ballots are solely for the May 2025 elections,” he emphasized.
The final batches printed on Saturday were designated for Iloilo province and San Juan City in Metro Manila.
However, Comelec had to suspend printing and discard approximately six million ballots due to multiple temporary restraining orders (TROs) issued by the Supreme Court. These TROs were in response to legal challenges against Comelec’s rulings on candidate disqualifications and the declaration of certain individuals as nuisance candidates.
Looking ahead, Comelec plans to commence the nationwide deployment of ballots by mid-April.
“We will start distributing the ballots across the country in the second week of April,” Garcia confirmed.
He further reported that approximately 34 million, or nearly 50 percent, of the printed ballots have already undergone the verification process. Each ballot must successfully pass manual checking as well as testing with automated counting machines before distribution.
With ballot printing completed, Comelec now shifts its focus to ensuring a smooth and secure electoral process leading up to the May 12 polls.