00:00The Commission on Elections or COMELEC is already eyeing several important tasks that need to be accomplished before the holding of the 2025 midterm polls.
00:09Among them is the actual printing of ballots and the much-anticipated release of the official list of aspirants,
00:16which even the poll body admits may still be revised depending on the decision on pending an appeal on disqualification cases.
00:23BTV's Luisa Erispe has more.
00:26The Commission on Elections is in full swing preparing for the 2025 national and local elections.
00:32Starting next week, the Commission is scheduled to start printing ballots at the National Printing Office.
00:38On January 6, we will start printing ballots. In fact, we will witness all of that.
00:49The Commission will start printing ballots for overseas voting, which is about 1.3 million pieces.
00:55This is because most countries allow internet voting for OFWs.
00:59But before the printing starts, on Sunday, the COMELEC is also expected to release the ballot face templates.
01:05These contain names of the candidates which will be included in the official ballots to be printed.
01:10The COMELEC explained, though they are ready for the scheduled printing and with a complete official list of aspirants in hand,
01:17they still anticipate changes on the list due to pending appeals and unresolved disqualification cases before the Unbank and the Supreme Court.
01:25There is a wording there that there may be names that are included but can still be removed when the final and executive judgment of the Commission is released.
01:56If you read the COMELEC's resolution, it is very ridiculous.
02:04Their basis is that Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code is violated.
02:13But it is very clear, even if you read it now, that this will only be violated on the day of the election.
02:25This is because he was not using any false information.
02:28Rather, he was just asking for clarifications on the contract of the COMELEC and Mirosystems Company Limited, the country's ACM provider for the election.
02:38What I am saying is my constitutional right to criticize a government agency and whoever is being paid by the Filipinos.
02:54I am a taxpayer. I am not an ordinary taxpayer.
03:02They want to keep my constitutional right.
03:07And by disqualifying me, they are making fun of me.
03:13The COMELEC chairman welcomed his appeal before the High Court, but said they will proceed with the printing of ballots as scheduled.
03:20As long as we do not receive a temporary restraining order or a suspension from the Supreme Court,
03:26we will have to proceed with the printing of the ballots.
03:28I am officially writing a letter to our Honorable Chief Justice, informing the Supreme Court through the Chief Justice,
03:35that we will already start printing of the ballots by January 6, by Monday.
03:40It is not to influence the Supreme Court on what to do with the cases that affect them,
03:45but to avoid what happened in the past elections,
03:49where the COMELEC was angry because it did not inform our Supreme Court of any updates in our preparation.
03:57From People's Television Network, Luisa Erispe, Balitang Pambansa.
