Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is confident of meeting its April 14 deadline to finish the printing of 73 million official ballots for the midterm elections, despite delays due to temporary restraining orders issued by the Supreme Court on cases filed by candidates. "April 14 is still the target date. As for the Comelec part, we will be able to do everything necessary to attain that target date. That's why we deputized the National Printing Office (NPO). We act faster that way," Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said in an interview Tuesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Garcia reported that the NPO has been deputized to help ensure faster and more efficient ballot printing. Ballot printing began on January 6 but was temporarily halted on January 14. "Comelec should distribute all election paraphernalia throughout the country two weeks before the elections because there is final testing and sealing one week before [May 12]. All machines, 10 ballots per precinct, will be tested by Election Board members and real voters. Before the start of final testing and sealing (FTS), materials must be present, including ballots," he stated.
During the FTS, an end-to-end test of the process will occur, starting from the initialization of the machines to the voting of at least 10 persons (randomly selected among those present), the feeding of the accomplished ballots to the vote counting machines, and ending with the printing of election returns. The poll body destroyed six million official and test ballots printed before the rulings of the High Court.
In related developments, the Philippine National Police (PNP) apprehended 250 individuals and confiscated 255 firearms in the first week of the election gun ban. The PNP reported that the National Capital Region (NCR) and Central Luzon had the highest number of violators with 65 individuals each, followed by Central Visayas with 31 violators and Calabarzon with 17. The arrested individuals included two foreign nationals, a soldier, two members of other law enforcement agencies, and civilians.
Of the 255 firearms confiscated, 115 were revolvers, 71 were pistols, six were shotguns, six were explosives, one was a class-A firearm, one was a rifle, and 55 were other types of firearms. NCR had the most firearms seized with 67 guns, followed by Central Luzon with 64 and Central Visayas with 31. The PNP also conducted 60,778 Comelec checkpoints since the election period began on January 12.
PNP Public Information Office chief Col. Rudulf Tua±o, at a press conference in Camp Crame on Tuesday, reminded the public that the gun ban suspends all permits to carry firearms outside residence (PTCFOR). He stated that the PNP is coordinating with security agencies to remind their personnel of the existing gun ban. "When there is no gun ban, the system was the security guards are bringing home their guns. We have charged some of them. They usually say they forgot about the gun ban when they are caught," said Tua±o.
Gun ban checkpoints will be in place during the election period from January 12 to June 11. During this time, all permits to carry and possess firearms outside residence are canceled, except for those who secured an exemption from Comelec or government officials with automatic exemptions. As a general rule, only bonafide police, military, and members of government law enforcement agencies in complete uniform and while on official duty are allowed to carry firearms for the entire election period.
