MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has deputized the National Printing Office (NPO) for the first time in order to help ensure faster and more efficient ballot printing for the May 12 elections.
In an interview Monday, Comelec chairperson George Garcia said by deputizing the NPO, the Comelec can mobilize its personnel as if they are employees of the poll body.
“For the first time, we have deputized the NPO,” Garcia said, adding a resolution will be issued to formalize the deputization of the NPO.
The Comelec earlier ordered the suspension of the ballot printing at the NPO after the Supreme Court issued several temporary restraining orders (TROs) against the poll body’s decisions to declare as nuisance or disqualify five aspirants.
The TROs ordered the inclusion of the petitioners in the list of national and local candidates.
Garcia vowed to restart the printing of official ballots for the May elections and the Bangsamoro parliamentary polls by Wednesday. He said they cannot afford another delay, as it will affect the preparations for the forthcoming elections.
“From Wednesday until April 14 we have lost two weeks already. We need to adjust onwards before the end of April the completion of the ballot printing,” he said.
Also on Monday, the Comelec conducted another trusted build to incorporate the changes in the Election Management System, the Automated Counting Machines, Consolidation and Canvassing System, and the Online Voting and Counting System for the upcoming elections.
The trusted build, which refers to the process of assembling the overall program that will govern the entire automated election management system, is necessary before the Comelec can generate new ballot face templates. (PNA)