By Liza Soriano
MANILA — The Senate Committee on Finance has augmented the 2024 budget of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
During the budget deliberation, Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel highlighted that the House’s version had reduced the proposed 2024 budget of Comelec under the National Expenditure Program by P200 million. However, the Senate has now allocated an additional P500 million to the commission’s funds.
Senator Imee Marcos, the sponsor of the Comelec budget in plenary, expressed the commission’s aspiration to reinstate at least P5.96 billion in the fund, ensuring that preparations for the 2025 elections are not compromised.
The estimated cost for the 2025 national and local elections is P39.68 billion, with P22.9 billion allocated for election preparations. Anticipating an increase in the number of voters to reach 71 million by 2025, additional funds will be required for additional precincts.
The 2024 fund encompasses P19.8 billion for the rental of 116,000 vote counting machines (VCMs) at P155,000 each, along with contingencies for 11,000 VCMs.
The procurement of ballot boxes, ballot printing papers, and SD cards is also included in the allocated fund.
(ai/mnm)
