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GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Printing of official ballots for BARMM polls starts Aug. 24, 2025 — Comelec
The Commission on Elections Monday that it is already in the final stages of preparations for the Bangsamoro parliamentary polls in October as the printing of the official ballots will begin on August 24. 'Kami po ay nasa huling yugto na ng paghahanda dahil po iyong ating aspeto ng teknikal, iyong atin pong aspeto ng mga pagsu-supply ay ready na po tayo. In fact, sa August 24 po ay magsisimula na ang Comelec sa pamamagitan ng National Printing Office ng pag-imprenta ng halos nasa 2.215 million na official ballots,' said Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing. (We are now in the final stages of preparation because our technical and supply aspects are ready. In fact, this August 24, Comelec, through the National Printing Office, will begin printing almost 2.215 million official ballots.) 'Ang atin pong sistema ay tuluy-tuloy na ginagawa ... so local source code ay ready na. Natapos na rin po natin ang field testing at ang mock elections at lahat po ito ay successful,' he added. (Our system is continuously being developed, so the local source code is ready. We've also completed field testing and mock elections, and all of them were successful.) 'So, bukod po sa pag-iimprenta ng balota, ang kasunod na po naming gagawin diyan ay ang training ng ating electoral boards at iyong deployment na lamang po – iyan na po ang mga huling natitirang paghahanda ng Comelec. So, malinaw ang mensahe po, tuloy na tuloy ang October 13 BARMM Parliamentary Elections,' Laudiangco also said. (So, aside from printing the ballots, our next steps will be the training of our electoral boards and then deployment – those are the only remaining preparations for Comelec. Thus, the message is clear: the October 13 BARMM Parliamentary Elections will definitely push through.) Mock elections in Lanao del Sur, Tawi-Tawi The Comelec conducted mock elections last July 26 in several areas in Lanao del Sur and Tawi-Tawi in preparation for the first ever parliamentary polls in the region on October 13. The voting started at 7 a.m. and ended at 10 a.m. Only 73 seats will be up for grabs in the October elections as the seven seats previously allocated to Sulu are considered temporarily vacant. The Comelec, however, said that there is no development yet regarding the possibility of redistribution of the allocated seats for Sulu. 'Sabi nga po namin kung maidi-distribute iyong pito ay parang bonus na lamang po ito, karagdagang representation, walang maiiwan sa representasyon sa BARMM. Pero ang sabi nga po namin, kung hindi na po kami makapaghihintay pa beyond July 30 dahil ang katumbas po nito ay baka mabalam ang aming paghahanda at hindi pa matuloy ang October 13,' said Laudiangco. (As we said, if the seven are distributed, it would be like a bonus, additional representation, no one would be left out in the representation for BARMM. But as we also said, we couldn't wait beyond July 30 because the equivalent of that would be a delay in our preparations and the October 13 elections might not push through.) 'So, kaysa po ma-imperil iyong ating October 13 BARMM Parliamentary Elections tuloy na pong halalan doon sa 25 na district representatives at apatnapu na regional, political party representatives po.' (So, rather than imperil our October 13 BARMM Parliamentary Elections, the elections for the 25 district representatives and forty regional, political party representatives will push through.) The Supreme Court in September 2024, upheld the validity of the Bangsamoro Organic Law but declared that Sulu was not part of BARMM. The Court denied motions seeking the reversal of the decision in November 2024. The SC ruling necessitated the redistribution of the seven vacated seats originally allocated to Sulu under the Bangsamoro Electoral Code. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
05-08-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Comelec: Voter registration for 2025 BSKE will not be extended
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday it will not extend the ten-day nationwide voters registration for the 2025 2025 Barangay Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiagco said the poll body is 'seeing no reason' to extend the registration period amid the high turnout of registrants. 'Sa ngayon, wala pang nakikitang dahilan ang Comelec para mag-extend given na mukhang lalagpas kami sa projected target namin,' Laudiangco told PTV's 'Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.' (The Comelec sees no reason to extend given we had a high turnout that is expected to go beyond our projected target.) 'May sapat na araw naman po at napakaraming venues na binuksan ang Comelec. Ang dahilan kung bakit hindi kami makapag-extend ay sa lean period na maaari naming gawin ito,' he said. (We allocated enough time and set up venues. We also cannot extend due to the lean period we are allowed to register voters.) Laudiangco also cited the 120-day election registration ban amid the upcoming Bangsamoro elections on October 13, 2025 as well as the processing period for the registrations applied at their Special Registration Anywhere Program (SRAP) sites in Metro Manila. 'Mahigpit na pinagbabawal ng ating batas, Republic Act No. 8189, ang pagpaparehistro 120 days before an election, ' he added. (RA No. 8189 prohibits election registration 120 days before a scheduled polls.) The Comelec started the ten-day nationwide voter registration for the 2025 BSKE on Friday, August 1. It is slated to run until August 10. However, voter registration in SRAP sites will last until August 7. Data from the poll body earlier showed more than 880,000 individuals registered for the 2025 BSKE as of August 4 — near from their target of 1 million registrants. The Comelec also set up RAP booths in various areas in Metro Manila including malls, hospitals, and airports. BARMM Meanwhile, Laudiangco debunked social media posts claiming the Bangsamoro elections will be moved, reiterating the first-ever parliamentary polls will push through on October 13. 'Tuloy na tuloy po ang BARMM parliamentary elections sa October 13…Mayroon po kasing nagccirculate sa social media na nagsasabi na ililipat, wag po kayong maniwala dyan,' he said. (The Bangsamoro elections will proceed on October 13. There were social media reports it will be moved, do not believe that.) 'Malinaw po ang RA No. 12123 na ang BARMM parliamentary elections ay sa October 13 at karugdtong ito ng May elections,' he added. (RA No. 12123 is clear that the CARMM parliamentary elections will be held on October 13 and it is a continuation of the May polls.) The Comelec started the preparations for the BARMM polls in May, with the equipment and software to be used for the elections now ready. Laudiangco also said the source code is already reviewed and deposited at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. 'Ngayong araw, magsisimula na kami mag-imprenta ng balota bilang unang batch at ite-test po namin ang kahandaan nang lahat. ll in all, nakikita namin wala kaming nakikitan problema at cause ng delay sa aming paghahanda,' he added. (We started printing the first batch of the ballots today and we will test our readiness. All in all, we see no problem or possible cause of delay for our preparations.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
02-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
EU observers give Comelec their final report on Eleksyon 2025
The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) turns over its Final Report and Recommendations for the May 12, 2025 National and Local Elections to the Commission on Elections at Comelec headquarters in Palacio del Gobernador, Intramuros, Manila on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. Photo: Commission on Elections The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday said it will review the recommendations of the European Union (EU) poll observers on the recent 2025 national and local elections (NLE). Members of the EU observation mission met with Comelec officials to formally turn over their final election observation report and recommendations, months after the conclusion of the May 12 midterm polls. 'Ang pangako ng lahat ng bawat isang miyembro ng Comelec kanina, aaralin at kung may mga bagay na maisasama sa proposal na revised Omnibus Election Code (OEC) ay isasama pa namin para maisaayos,' Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco told reporters. (The promise of each and every Comelec en banc member is to review the report and if there is any recommendation that may be included in the proposal for the revised OEC, then we will include it.) In April, the EU launched the election observation mission for Eleksyon 2025, deploying an initial 200 observers. More poll observers arrived in the country the following month. The international observers released their initial report on May 14, flagging widespread vote-buying; the continued dominance of political families; election-related violence, including on election day; and a legal framework that is fragmented and lacks grievance mechanisms. According to Laudiangco, among the EU poll observers' recommendations are decreasing the number of voters per precinct to shorten lines. They also reiterated the issues on vote buying, and violence, and lauded the poll body's transparency efforts, engagement with media, and expeditious actions on complaints of discrimination, and red-tagging. 'Mukhang ang susi kasi sa lahat ng nakitang observations, dalawang bagay: pagbabago sa legislation at pagpapalaki ng pondo. Kung masosolusyunan ang dalawang bagay na ito, tingin namin pareho, magagampanan namin ang sinasabi nilang international standard at mas magandang pagpapalakad ng halalan,' he added. (We saw that the key to these observations are two things: the amendment of election laws and a higher budget for the polls. If a way can be found for these, we think we will be able to attain the international standard and a better way of conducting elections.) The EU observation team said it will also submit its final report and recommendations to Congress. The Philippines held its midterm polls on May 12. — BM, GMA Integrated News For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.
GMA Network
01-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
BARMM polls to proceed even with only 73 seats up for grabs — Comelec
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday it can no longer delay the first-ever Bangsamoro parliamentary elections on October 13 even though only 73 seats are up for grabs. Comelec spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said the poll body is ready to explain before the Supreme Court the poll body's decision to proceed with the parliamentary elections in the region. "Nakahanda naman po kaming tumugon at magpaliwanag sa ating Kataastasang Hukuman kung kami ay aatasan na sumagot," he said in an interview on Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon. (We are ready to answer and explain to the Supreme Court if we are ordered to respond.) "Kung sakali man pong magkakaroon ng development, whether sa batas, whether sa kaso o pagkuwestiyon at ano pa man, nakahanda naman po tumugon ang Comelec," Laudiangco said. "Ngunit isa lamang po ang malinaw na mensahe ng Comelec sa bagay na ito, kailangan na po namin maghanda at hindi na po kami puwede mag-delay pa kung nais natin matuloy ang halalan sa October 13," he added. (In case there is a development, whether on law, the case, or any questions, the Comelec is ready to respond. However, the Comelec has only one clear message on this matter: We need to prepare and we cannot face any further delays if we want the elections to proceed on October 13.) There were supposed to be 80 available parliamentary seats, but the seven seats that were originally intended for Sulu have yet to be reallocated by the interim Bangsamoro Parliament. In a September 2024 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Bangsamoro Organic Law but declared that Sulu was not part of BARMM. The High Court denied motions seeking the reversal of the decision in November 2024. The SC ruling necessitated the redistribution of the seven vacated seats originally allocated to Sulu under the Bangsamoro Electoral Code. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. signed into law the measure postponing the BARMM polls from May 12 to October 13 this year. Malacañang had said the President supported a Senate bill for the postponement of the BARMM polls as this would "address the urgent need of the Bangsamoro transitional government to realign its governance structure." — VDV, GMA Integrated News
Filipino Times
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Filipino Times
Overseas Filipino voting begins; Comelec releases official schedule by country
Overseas Filipino voters officially began casting their ballots on Sunday, marking the start of the month-long overseas voting period, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced. Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco confirmed that the test voting phase has ended, making way for the official overseas voting period which runs from April 13 until May 12 at 7 p.m. 'The start of voting in countries where there are enrolled registered overseas voters (ROVs) is at 8:00 a.m.,' Laudiangco said. The corresponding voting start times (in Philippine Standard Time) for various countries and regions are as follows: Australia and Guam (GMT+10): 6:00 AM Japan and South Korea (GMT+9): 7:00 AM Brunei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Macau, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Singapore (GMT+8): 8:00 AM Thailand, Vietnam, and parts of Indonesia (GMT+7): 9:00 AM Bangladesh (GMT+6): 10:00 AM India (GMT+5:30): 10:30 AM Pakistan (GMT+5): 11:00 AM United Arab Emirates and Oman (GMT+4): 12:00 PM Greece, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, and Israel (GMT+3): 1:00 PM European countries such as Spain, Germany, France, and South Africa (GMT+2): 2:00 PM Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Morocco (GMT+1): 3:00 PM Brazil and Argentina (GMT-3): 7:00 PM USA (GMT-5), Canada, and Chile (GMT-4): 8:00 PM USA (GMT-5): 9:00 PM Mexico (GMT-6): 10:00 PM USA and Canada (GMT-7): 11:00 PM USA (GMT-10): 2:00 AM (following day) Related Articles
