Comelec sets P695M for barangay, SK poll materials

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) has earmarked P695 million for the printing and delivery of election forms and ballot boxes for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections later this year.

Suppliers are being invited to bid for three separate contracts to cover the logistical preparations for the village polls to be conducted using the old manual voting and counting method on Oct. 31.

These contracts involve the printing and delivery of envelopes for the voting and counting materials worth P21.5 million; the printing and delivery of election forms worth P31.3 million; and the supply and delivery of ballot boxes worth P642.1 million.

The bid invitations indicated that the contracts also include envelopes to be used for official ballots, election returns, minutes of voting and for the ballot box keys; election forms and ballot boxes.

Interested suppliers are required to pay nonrefundable fees ranging from P5,000 to P75,000  in order to participate in the bidding.

The Comelec will hold a prebid conference on July 11 at 10 a.m. at the Palacio del Gobernador building, while the pre-bid conferences for the two other contracts are on July 13.

The submission of bids for the ballot boxes contract is set for July 25 at 9 a.m. at the Comelec’s bids and awards secretariat office.

The deadline for the envelopes and election forms contracts is on July 27 at 9 a.m. at the same venue.

The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections will come five months after this year’s general elections in May.

 ‘Election fatigue’

Comelec Chair Andres Bautista had wanted to postpone the October elections, citing election fatigue after the intensive automated polls in May.

He also faces the possibility of running the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections sans three election commissioners who said they would boycott the elections.

Commissioners Rowena Guanzon, Christian Robert Lim and Luie Guia expressed their intention not to participate in the elections in order to focus on the pending cases in their division.

They and three other election commissioners signed a strongly worded memorandum slamming Bautista for his “failed leadership” on several election issues, including the delay in the release of honoraria for election workers and a shopping mall company’s “demand for damages” after the Comelec canceled mall voting.