By Leslie Ann G. Aquino
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it is 85 percent ready for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in May.
“As far as the BSKE is concerned, we have already completed majority of the preparations,” Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez said during a press briefing Tuesday.
“I would say 85 percent (ready) with printing done, and those for additional registrants will be done very soon, and much of the primary bidding done prior to October,” Jimenez said.
With much of the preparations done, Jimenez said the poll body can now focus on educating voters.
Congress had postponed the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls scheduled last October 2016 to October 2017. It was again reset to May 2018.
Comelec said it will be using the ballots printed for the October 23, 2017 village and youth polls in the May 14 voting to save on funds and resources.
It said the Omnibus Election Code does not prescribe the form and contents of the official ballots nor does it require that the date of the election be specified.
Voters in the National Capital Region (NCR), Luzon and Visayas Regions will be using the 59,578,346 ballots printed from August 9 to September 30 last year.
New and additional ballots, accountable and non-accountable forms will be printed for those who registered from November 6 to 30 last year.