No ballot reprint despite Senate bets' exit, says Comelec
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections will no longer reprint ballots for the May 2025 elections even as two senatorial hopefuls announced their exit from the race this week.
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said 27 million ballots have already been printed. This represents roughly 36% of the total ballot requirement for nearly 69 million registered voters nationwide.
"We will not modify the printed ballots. We're moving forward. These names can no longer be removed. We cannot compromise the 27 million ballots we're printing," Garcia said in mixed English and Filipino at a press conference on Thursday, February 13.
This comes after Rep. Wilbert Lee (Agri Partylist) formally withdrew his senatorial bid on Monday, while doctor-vlogger Willy Ong announced his intention to back out from the race to focus on his cancer treatment yesterday.
Lee cited the lack of campaign machinery as his reason for withdrawal, stating he would instead focus on his party's reelection bid to continue their agriculture and food security advocacies.
Ong has yet to formally file his withdrawal with the Comelec.
Garcia said that the poll body is on track with completing the printing of all ballots by March 19 as long as all six printing machines continue working.
"So far, so good with the ballots we have printed. We continue to exceed our daily printing targets," Garcia added. — Cristina Chi
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