Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) initiated the two-day deployment process for the 7.5 million official ballots designated for use in the National Capital Region (NCR) during the upcoming May 12 midterm elections. The deployment commenced on Tuesday, marking a crucial step in the election preparations.

According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec's Garcia announced the start of the ballot shipment at the National Printing Office (NPO) in Quezon City, where the ballots were produced. On the first day, the ballots were scheduled for delivery to Caloocan, Marikina, Pasig, Valenzuela, Quezon City, Malabon, Navotas, and San Juan. The second day will see the dispatch of ballots to Muntinlupa, Pateros, Taguig, Manila, Makati City, Pasay, Las Pi±as, Mandaluyong, and Para±aque.

Garcia explained that the ballots will initially be sent to the Office of the Treasurer in each area, with subsequent distribution to the Electoral Board planned for either Sunday or early Monday morning to ensure that teachers can proceed directly to their assigned precincts.

In a separate development, Garcia addressed an incident in Santa Cruz, Laguna, where individuals were detained for allegedly attempting to inspect automated counting machines (ACMs) at Silangan Elementary School. Comelec is investigating the matter to understand the intentions behind this action, emphasizing the importance of securing the machines prior to their distribution to Electoral Board members. Garcia expressed concern over the situation but acknowledged the positive outcome of the arrests.