— Warehouse personnel unload 2016 automated election ballots from a truck to a rented warehouse in Marcos Highway, Marikina City on Friday. The printing of 55.7 million ballots is still underway, but the Commission on Elections assured that the ballots will be ready for the May 9 national and local elections. (MNS photo)
MANILA, Mar 10 (Mabuhay) – Malacanang on Thursday said it is confident that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be able to pull off an uneventful presidential election in May amid the Supreme Court’s (SC) order for the printing of voter receipts.
“We trust that the COMELEC will exert all efforts to ensure the orderly conduct of the national elections while complying with the Constitution and with the Supreme Court decision,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a text message.
This was in response to Comelec chair Andres Bautista’s statement on Wednesday that the poll body might need to postpone the May 9 polls to comply with the SC ruling.
The high court on Wednesday directed the Comelec to ensure that voter receipts will be printed to allow voters to verify their choices. The order granted the petition for mandamus filed by senatorial candidate Richard Gordon and his party Bagumbayan-VNP Movement Inc. Gordon and his group argued that such “physical record” would ensure a transparent and credible election. Gordon called the ruling a victory of “democracy and transparency.”
However, Bautista said the printing of receipts will delay Comelec’s timeline.
“We are looking at what are the things we can do to enforce this directive of the SC. We want to know specifically what would be the consequences or implications if voter receipt printing is implemented,” he said.
The Comelec earlier claimed that the verification mechanism will extend voting hours. At the same time, it raised fears that the receipts will be used for vote-buying. (MNS)