Dumaguete: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Oriental is set to deploy official ballots early to remote areas ahead of the May 12 elections to ensure no voter is disenfranchised. Lawyer Eddie Aba, the Comelec-Negros Oriental election supervisor, announced that these ballots are typically delivered to polling precincts on the day of the elections.

According to Philippines News Agency, Aba emphasized that the early transportation of ballots, at least one day before the polls, aims to ensure that voting can commence on time without disruptions. The transportation of the ballots will be secured with escorts from police and military personnel.

This early deployment is being adopted by most towns and cities in the province due to a special early voting window from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. for senior citizens, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities. Consequently, polling places will open at least one hour earlier, by 4 a.m.

Comelec has also considered potential weather disruptions following forecasts of heavy rainfall in May from PAGASA as a reason for the early deployment. The full shipment of official ballots for both Negros Oriental and the neighboring province of Siquijor arrived late Thursday night via a cargo vessel.

The shipment comprises 976,185 ballots for Negros Oriental and 81,894 for Siquijor, packed in 1,289 and 149 boxes respectively, with each box corresponding to a clustered precinct. Currently, the ballots are stored at Comelec's official cargo hub and will be transferred to municipal and city treasurers' offices for safekeeping until election day. Additionally, boxes of indelible ink also arrived as part of the shipment.