00:00The Commission on Elections also suspended the printing of balota for the 2025 National and Local Elections.
00:07The Commission will study if the database of candidates in balota needs to be changed.
00:14Ryan Desigues of PTV in Balitang Pambansa.
00:20The Commission on Elections will temporarily stop the printing of balota for the 2025 National and Local Elections.
00:28This is after the Supreme Court issued an order to add the names of five more candidates in balota
00:34who were first disqualified and then declared a nuisance candidate by COMELEC.
00:39The Temporary Restraining Order also issued a high sentence against the decision of COMELEC.
00:45The TROs prohibit COMELEC from disqualifying them, so this means their names have to be included in the ballot.
00:52So it's up to COMELEC how they will implement this, but they will just have to follow the order of the Supreme Court.
00:59The former Congressman Edgar Erice will be included in the printing of balota with the five names.
01:05He is trying to return to the 2nd District of Caloocan.
01:08Erice then questioned COMELEC's contract with the country's automated counting machines provider for the election.
01:16COMELEC promised that they will find a way to include these candidates in balota.
01:21But because the printing was suspended, the agency said that there was a slight delay in preparing for the election.
01:29The commission will study if the candidates' database needs to be changed to balota.
01:35New ballot phases will also be issued and the printing of millions of balota will be repeated,
01:42which started to be printed on January 6 because of the TRO.
01:47The MAC elections, which were set on January 18, were also affected and suspended.
01:52COMELEC clarified that the public should not panic.
01:56They said that they can fix this and it will not affect the day of the election.
02:03From PTV Manila, Ryan Lisigues, Balitang Pambansa.
