BY: CHARLES NIKKO LIMON
With only 12 days left until the election, the official ballots have arrived in Baguio City and Benguet.
The ballots are undergoing verification to ensure their accuracy and to avoid any issues like the ballot mix-up that occurred in 2013.
At the City Treasury Office, 166,416 ballots arrived for the 232 clustered precincts in Baguio.
The ballots are sealed and clearly marked with the precincts they are assigned to.
However, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has expressed concerns over whether all the ballots match the correct precincts.
“We’ve noticed that the boxes appear sealed, so we’ll double-check to ensure everything is in order,” said Atty. John Paul Martin, Election Officer of COMELEC Baguio.
As a precaution, COMELEC Baguio plans to verify the ballots on May 2 before they are distributed to the precincts on May 11.
The ballots for Benguet province have also arrived, with 249,729 ballots for 444 clustered precincts.
Atty. Vanessa Roncal, Assistant Regional Director of COMELEC Cordillera, confirmed that the ballots have been received and will be delivered to their respective municipalities.
In addition to the ballots, automated counting machines (ACMs) are also being delivered, particularly to remote barangays. On May 1, the ballot boxes will be delivered to the City Treasury Office for safekeeping.
As of now, COMELEC Baguio is 90% ready for the upcoming elections.
