(Screengrab from Comelec Facebook live video)
MANILA – The printing of the official ballots and other accountable forms for the two plebiscites to be held next month in Batangas and Maguindanao has been completed, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported on Thursday.
Acting poll body spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said a total of 877,671 official ballots and other forms would be used for the plebiscites in Calaca, Batangas and Maguindanao on September 3 and 17, respectively.
“All printing activities for the Calaca plebiscite were concluded on Aug. 17, 2022, with all items had already been subjected to verification by the Comelec Reception and Verification Committee (RVC),” Laudiangco said in a statement.
The forms that have been printed are official ballots numbering 58,881; Plebiscite Returns, 123 sets (one set of three copies); Certificate of Canvass and Proclamation (one set of four copies); Statement of Votes by Precinct, eight sets (one set of four copies); and Summary of Votes, one set of four copies.
“Deployment to Calaca will be made within five days before the plebiscite,” he added.
As for the Maguindanao plebiscite, Laudiangco said the printing of the 818,790 ballots began on August 18 and ended on August 20.
He noted that the printing of all other forms was completed on August 20 – Plebiscite Returns, 1,660 sets (one set of three copies); Certificate of Canvass and Proclamation, one set of four copies; Certificate of Canvass, 38 sets (one set of three copies); Statement of Votes by Precinct, 120 (one set of three copies); and Summary of Votes, 37 sets (one set of three copies).
“All printed items are now being subjected to verification by the RVC. As standard practice, deployment will be made at least five days before the Plebiscite,” Laudiangco said.
The September 3 plebiscite will ratify the conversion of the municipality of Calaca into a component city of the province of Batangas.
It involves 40 barangays with 58,881 registered voters.
The approved budget for the activity is PHP13.71 million sourced from the Calaca municipal government.
On the other hand, the September 17 plebiscite will divide the province of Maguindanao into two districts and independent provinces – Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.
A total of 508 barangays with 818,790 registered voters will participate in the plebiscite.
The Maguindanao provincial government has allocated a budget of PHP89.17 million for the plebiscite. (PNA)
