Comelec claims 85% ready for elections

MANILA – An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said they are 85% prepared to hold the elections with the poll body already halfway done with the printing of the 52 million ballots needed.

Comelec Executive Director and Project Management Office chief Jose Tolentino said that as of 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the National Printing Office has already printed 26.11 million ballots. He said the number of printed ballots should already be at 27 million.

Tolentino stressed that the Comelec is prepared for the worst in terms of poll preparations.

"Ito’y pagkakataon upang pakita sa inyo na ang Comelec prepared for worst," he said at the beginning of a three-day workshop of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) for its election volunteers.

Tolentino said the cases assailing the option to purchase the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines before the Supreme Court delayed the preparations.

Nonetheless, he reiterated the Comelec already put in place the enhancements to the system. Contracts were signed and deliveries have already been made, he said.

Tolentino also reiterated that the automated election system passed the standards of the technical evaluation committee.

The configuration of the election paraphernalia, including the PCOS machines, is expected to end on April 25.

Deployment will start March 15 until May 8.