Comelec to maintain party-list sequence in ballots based on raffle

VOTERS in the May 13 midterms elections could expect to see blank items in the ballot as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday ruled that it will maintain the order of raffled party-list (PL) groups despite expected disqualification announcements later this month. Last Dec. 5, Comelec conducted an automated raffling that determined the order of the party-list groups in the ballots. “PL Groups will retain the numbers they drew at the raffle; if a PL group is later disqualified and its name doesn’t make it to ballot, the numbers of the other qualified PL groups will NOT be affected,” Comelec Spokesperson James B. Jimenez said in a social media post on Wednesday. Comelec, in a statement, said the Comelec en banc “resolved to maintain the numbers as raffled… Those Party-List Groups and their respective raffled numbers adjudged as disqualified to participate in the 2019 NLE will be cancelled.” Comelec will release the final list of PL groups and senatorial candidates by the last week of January. Earlier this week, Comelec Vice Chairperson of the Printing Committee Maria Victoria S. Dulcero said printing for the midterm election ballots will start on Jan. 22. — Gillian M. Cortez