THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has completed the verification of more than 2.39 million ballots for the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections in September.
Data from the Comelec showed all 2,393,202 ballots produced for the polls had undergone verification.
Of the total, 1,869,922 were released as good ballots, while 523,280 were placed under quarantine for further processing.
Comelec also recorded 15,733 defective ballots, equivalent to 0.66 percent of the total production.
Lanao del Sur posted the highest number of defective ballots at 10,140, followed by Tawi-Tawi with 1,505 and Maguindanao del Sur with 1,340.
Basilan recorded 1,049 defective ballots, while Maguindanao del Norte and the Special Geographic Area had 1,055 and 644, respectively.
Comelec Spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the poll body will spend August deploying the ballots, automated counting machines and other election materials to designated hubs.
‘The month of August will be dedicated to the deployment of all election supplies and equipment,’ Laudiangco said in an interview.
He said election stakeholders and members of the media will be allowed to inspect the equipment upon its arrival at the hubs, where Comelec will also conduct an inventory.
The ballots will then be transferred to the offices of local treasurers, who are legally responsible for their custody and distribution to electoral boards.
Comelec has also established technical and repair hubs that will respond to possible problems involving the automated counting machines during the elections.
‘The technical and repair hubs are ready in case the automated counting machines encounter problems,’ Laudiangco said.
Testing and sealing of the machines will be conducted on Sept. 12, when Comelec will also demonstrate the readiness of the Starlink equipment to be used for transmitting election results.
The first regular parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are scheduled for September 14.