Comelec starts dispatching ballots to priority areas for May polls

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has finished the printing of official ballots for the May 13 elections and has started deploying them in batches to their respective destinations.

Comelec Director Teopisto Elnas Jr., deputy project director for the May polls, revealed this Friday, exactly 17 days before the elections next month.

Elnas noted that the official ballots are being dispatched first to priority areas.

“Nasa third day na tayo ng dispatch. (And) ‘yung mga priority areas natin ay sa ARMM, sa Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-tawi and of course dito sa Batanes area,” he said.

(We are now on the third day of the dispatch. Our priority areas are ARMM — in Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and of course, in the Batanes area.)

“It will end this coming May 4,” he added.

As a procedure, all printed ballots will be verified and validated before they are packed and shipped to their destinations.

As of Friday, Elnas said only six million of the total 63 million printed ballots are still undergoing verification.

The Comelec official said more than 61 million registered voters are expected to flock to their respective polling precincts for the May 13 polls.

Elnas urged the public to vote early on election day to avoid long queues.

Voting will start at 6 a.m. and will end at 6 p.m., Elnas said. /ee

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