DAVAO CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced Tuesday that over 45.6 million ballots—63.32 percent of the total 72,097,420 required—have been printed for the May 12 midterm elections.
The Printing, which resumed on January 27 at the National Printing Office (NPO) in Quezon City, is being carried out in partnership with Miru Systems.
Of the 45,649,329 ballots printed so far, 22,570,822 were produced by Miru Systems and 23,078,507 by the NPO. An additional 26,448,091 ballots remain, with Miru Systems slated to print 14,279,056 and the NPO to produce 12,169,035. If the current pace holds, Comelec expects to complete the printing by March 9 or 10.
In a related development, Batangas gubernatorial candidate and Vice Mayor of Mataas na Kahoy, Jay Manalo Ilagan, filed a disqualification case on Tuesday against CWS Party-list and its representative Edwin Gardiola. The four-page petition alleges that during Lipa City’s “BarakoFest 2025” from February 13-15, the party-list conducted a “Last to Take Hands Off Challenge” by awarding three new Toyota Vios vehicles—an act Ilagan claims violates Section 261(a) of the Omnibus Election Code by constituting vote-buying during the 90-day campaign period.
These developments underscore Comelec’s efforts to finalize electoral logistics while electoral stakeholders continue to address campaign conduct ahead of the midterms.
Edith Z Caduaya studied Bachelor of Science in Development Communication at the University of Southern Mindanao.
The chairperson of Mindanao Independent Press Council (MIPC) Inc.
