BAGUIO CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has announced that preparations for the May 2025 national and local elections are 95% complete, staying on track despite earlier delays.
During a press conference on Sunday (23 Feb 2025), Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia shared that the commission is adhering to its scheduled timeline. He assured the public that preparations are proceeding smoothly.
“So far, we are 95 percent ready in our preparations. We are on time with various aspects of our readiness,” Garcia said.
As of Sunday, approximately 45 million of the 72 million official ballots have already been printed. The printing process faced a two-week delay due to court-issued restraining orders concerning some candidates’ disqualifications, but Garcia assured that the delay would not affect the overall timeline. The full completion of printing is expected by March 19, with manual and machine verification to take place between April 10 and 20.
“We have found a way to catch up with the ballot printing process,” Garcia explained.
To ensure early deployment, printing has been prioritized for remote areas, with all election materials and voting machines ready for distribution.
Additionally, Garcia confirmed that training for Department of Education supervisors and school principals has been completed, and electoral board training will begin next week.
Garcia emphasized that Comelec’s participation in the Panagbenga Festival parade is part of a broader voter education campaign to encourage informed voting and boost voter turnout.
“The Comelec is here to ensure that your votes will be counted and that the rightful winners will be proclaimed,” Garcia stated in Filipino.
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