The Commission on Elections (Comelec) started on Tuesday, April 22, the deployment of the first batch of official ballots for the May 2025 national and local elections, with deliveries beginning in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In an interview, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said each box delivered contains the ballots exactly matching the number of registered voters in its assigned precinct.

“Isang presinto, isang botante, isang balota, wala po tayong pasobra bawat isang presinto (One precinct, one voter, one ballot. There's no excess),” Garcia said.

He also emphasized that the automated counting machines (ACMs) are precinct-specific and will not accept ballots not designated for the correct precinct.

Garcia said that Comelec’s delivery strategy prioritizes remote areas first.

Ballots for BARMM provinces — including Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and the Special Geographic Area — are being delivered directly to the offices of municipal and city treasurers. These officials, by law, are tasked with the custody and distribution of ballots to the electoral boards, primarily composed of public school teachers.

Garcia expects that the ballot shipment has been completed and is already in the hands of city treasurers on or before May 1, in time for the final testing and sealing (FTS) scheduled from May 2 to May 8. Included in the initial shipment of ACMs are 10 original ballots that will be used for the FTS.

"Kapag binigay sa mga local Comelec yung mismong mga machine, pag-dinistribute sa mga teachers din para gagamitin sa final testing and sealing na gagawin sa bawat presincto mula May 2  hanggang May 7 or May 8 ay gagamitin po yung original na balota. Kaya lang 10 lang po yan (Once the machines are given to the local Comelec, they’ll also be distributed to teachers and used for the final testing and sealing in each precinct from May 2 to May 7 or May 8. The original ballots will be used — but only 10 of them)," he said.

On the other hand, ballots for the National Capital Region (NCR) will be dispatched from the National Printing Office (NPO); those for Northern Luzon provinces such as Pangasinan and Ilocos are being prepared at venues like Amoranto Stadium to prevent congestion at the Comelec's warehouse.

Upon arrival, election officers are instructed to notify political parties, candidates, and accredited poll watchdogs of the scheduled delivery. 

Meanwhile, under a newly-approved resolution, Garcia said that to ensure transparency and accuracy, treasurers are authorized to open a small window on the boxes containing the ballots to verify the precinct numbers indicated on the ballots inside.

"Bubuksan yung pinakagitnaan yan, may window na pwedeng buksan. Bubuksan, nakikita nila kung anong precinct number yung mismong intended ng balota na yan (The center part will be opened — there’s a small window that can be opened. Through it, they can see which precinct the ballots are intended for)," he said.

"Para kung hindi siya at nagkamali worst case scenario may pagkakataon pa na madala ka agad sa intended na lugar yung balota na yan (So if they’re incorrect or there’s a mistake, there’s still a chance to bring the ballots to the right location)," he added.

Garcia said that the poll body aims to finish distributing all ballots nationwide before the end of April.