The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Wednesday, March 16 that it has scheduled the testing of the ballots and vote counting machines (VCMs) for the upcoming May 2022 elections next week.
Comelec commissioner George Erwin Garcia said that they will direct Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez to come up with the guidelines for this as soon as possible.
"It is our sworn duty to ensure transparency and remove any cloud of doubt as to the integrity of the entire process," he added.
On Tuesday, Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said 73.7 percent of the more than 67 million have already been printed as of March 15. In light of this, veteran poll lawyer Romulo Macalintal called out the absence of candidates’ observers during the printing of official ballots.
In a letter addressed to the Comelec en banc, Macalintal, who represents Vice President presidential candidate Leni Robredo also stated that the printing of the ballots without giving notice to the political parties and candidates is a violation of Section 187 of the Omnibus Election Code and related provisions thereof since they are entitled to send their watchers to witness the printing of these official ballots.
"However, since the Comelec had already printed 73% of the official ballot, we do not want to be accused of delaying the printing of these official documents and other related activities of the Comelec in connection with the May 2022 elections," the letter read.
Macalintal then enumerated five suggestions for the sake of transparency and by way of a compromise:
- Comelec should give the political parties and candidates a full inventory of the total number of official ballots already printed and the specific provinces, cities and municipalities involved; as well as the names of the provinces, cities and municipalities whose official ballots have not yet printed.
- Comelec should conduct a random sampling to test and examine the official ballots already printed in the presence of the representatives of the political parties and candidates who will be allowed to randomly select the official ballots to be tested at the rate of at least 3 to 5 ballots per city and municipality. These randomly selected ballots will be verified and examined by said representatives of the parties to determine if they contain all the security features as required by the law and will be fed into the vote-counting machines to find out if said ballots would be recognized by these machines.
- Comelec should allow the use of ultra-violet light or dark light or any such instrument to verify and insure that the official ballots shall bear the security features required by law such as, but not limited to, the invisible ultra-violet authentication. This will also dispel the wild impressions made by some alleged experts that some ballots are pre-shaded with invisible marks to favor certain candidates.
- Comelec should now allow the presence of the watchers of political parties and candidates during the printing of the official ballots which have not yet been printed, with the assurance that the same right will be given them once the Comelec starts the printing of other accountable documents such as, but not limited to, election returns and certificates of canvass.
- Comelec should also insure that the political parties and candidates will be duly advised before any official ballot and election returns and other election documents are delivered to the city and municipal treasurers to give them chance to send their watchers as provided under Section 189 of the OEC.
Casquejo cited Covid-19 as the reason why observers were not allowed before at the National Printing Office (NPO). He currently heads the Comelec’s printing committee.