Cotabato city: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has commenced the printing of over 34,000 Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) ballots for the upcoming parliamentary elections set to take place on October 13 in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco announced that 34,650 FTS ballots are being prepared for use by the automated counting machines (ACMs) designated for the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections. The printing process will cater to 3,461 clustered precincts distributed across BARMM's five provinces, the Special Geographic Area comprising eight municipalities, and the cities of Lamitan, Marawi, and Cotabato. Laudiangco emphasized that the printed ballots will be the actual ones utilized by the machines during the election.
The FTS process is designed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the election system, encompassing the initialization of the machines, voting procedures, the processing of completed ballots, and the generation of election returns.
In a related development, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia expressed optimism about achieving a 75-percent voter turnout for the BARMM elections. During a voter education campaign launch named 'Botong Bangsamoro' in Cotabato City, Garcia remarked that reaching or surpassing this turnout would be a significant milestone, signifying a collective triumph for the Moro community. The region boasts approximately 2.2 million registered voters.
Garcia also highlighted the objective of the voter education campaign, which aims to reduce the proportion of BARMM residents lacking adequate information about the elections. He indicated that decreasing the uninformed populace from 50 percent to around 20-25 percent would be considered a success. Garcia lamented the lack of electoral awareness among some residents, stressing that no individual should be excluded from election-related discussions.
This upcoming election marks the inaugural parliamentary elections in BARMM.
