MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said it has printed over 50 percent of the more than 90 million officials' ballots for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), with over eight months before the polls.
Based on the poll body's data, a total of 45,373,628 ballots have been printed by the National Printing Office (NPO) out of a total of 90,613,426 ballots.
Of the number, a total of 32,975,599 ballots have been printed of the 66,973,949 ballots required for the village polls.
Meanwhile, the Commission said a total of 12,398,029 out of the 23,639,477 ballots for the SK polls have already been printed.
It added that the ballots that have already been printed are for the following regions -- Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Caraga, Soccsksargen, Davao Region, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Western Visayas and Batanes province in Cagayan Valley.
The areas that have yet to be printed are those for the Bicol Region, Mimaropa, Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, National Capital Region, and the rest of Cagayan Valley.
Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia, however, said the number does not include those who have applied in the just-concluded voter registration period.
"Not yet. But it will only take three days to print the additional (ballots)," he said.
A total of 2,506,321 applications were received nationwide during the voter registration period from Dec. 12, 2022 to Jan. 31, 2023. (PNA)
