We’re really cutting it close.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Atty. Andres Bautista said they are planning to start the printing ballots on Feb 1, but may postpone it based on the proposal of Senate President Franklin Drilon amid the ongoing oral arguments at the Supreme Court (SC) on disqualification cases of candidates.
“Drilon earlier warned against the possibility of having printed ballots that contain names of disqualified candidates. The Comelec is set to announce on Monday, January 25, the furthest date on which they can push back ballot printing,” reports ABS-CBNnews.com.
In an interview with dzMM, Bautista explained, “This coming week, we’ll tell you what’s the drop-dead date. This means if we don’t start printing ballots on this date, the timetable for the May 9, 2016 elections will be really affected.”
The report noted: “Eight names are currently in the list of presidential candidates, including Senator Grace Poe who is currently facing disqualification issues at the Supreme Court (SC). Bautista cannot say if the poll body will print Poe’s name on the ballots pending the SC ruling on her two petitions challenging the disqualification that Comelec handed her. Bautista just urged the SC to swiftly resolve the case.”
