Quezon city: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Friday that it is set to begin the printing of official ballots for the October 13 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) on September 8.

According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia detailed that the printing process, which will take place at the National Printing Office in Quezon City, is expected to be completed within a seven-day timeframe. This schedule includes the verification process for over 2.3 million ballots. "Based on what the Project Management Office has said, this (printing) could happen by Sept. 8 so that we can better study and see the entirety of the law," Garcia mentioned during an interview, emphasizing that the number of ballots is manageable for the commission.

The commission had previously planned to start the printing on Thursday but postponed it after receiving information that the bill concerning the distribution of seven parliamentary seats might affect the ballot faces and the printing process. The Bangsamoro Parliament is tasked with reconfiguring parliamentary districts and distributing the seven seats originally intended for Sulu, as per a Supreme Court ruling that excluded the province from the region.

The distribution of parliamentary districts has been outlined as follows: Lanao del Sur will receive 9 seats; Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur will each receive 5 seats; Basilan and Tawi-Tawi will each receive 4 seats; Cotabato City will receive 3 seats; and the Special Geographic Area will receive 2 seats.