SCREEN GRAB FROM @JABJIMENEZ

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) started printing on Sunday the official ballots for the May automated elections, the poll body’s spokesperson said. 

“Printing of official ballots for the 2022 National and Local Elections began at approximately 11:27 AM today, 23 January 2022,” Comelec Spokesman James B. Jimenez said on Twitter.

First to be printed are ballots for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in southern Philippines. 

A total of 2,588,193 ballots will be sent to the region, Mr. Jimenez told reporters in a Viber message.  

Comelec is spending P1.3 billion to print 67.4 million ballots, including 65.7 million for voters nationwide and 1.7 million for overseas voters, according to Comelec Deputy Executive Director Helen C. Aguila-Flores. 

Printing of the manual ballots for overseas voters has been completed.

Ballots for local distribution are expected to be completed by April 21.

The May 9 polls cover national and local government positions including president, vice president, senators, congressional representatives, governors, mayors, vice mayors, and local council members. — John Victor D. Ordoñez 

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