Ballot printing in full swing despite calls for another postponement of village and youth polls

INTRAMUROS, Manila (17 Feb 2018) - PRINTING of additional 18 million ballots for the coming barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) elections has pushed through despite strong indications from leaders of Congress to postpone anew the two polls.

Commission Elections (COMELEC) spokesman James Jimenez said the additional ballots were for new voters who registered during the 25-day continuing registration held last November 2017 and also for voters of Mindanao in Southern Philippines.

Surigao congressman files bill to postpone barangay and SK polls

Surigao Rep. JOHNNY T. PIMENTEL

SURIGAO City (17 Feb 2018) - Surigao del Sur Congressman Johnny Pimentel seeks to postpone the barangay and SK elections scheduled this May 2018 to another date in October 2018.

House Bill No. 7072 filed by Representative Pimentel seeks to give the Commission on Elections and other involved agencies additional time to further ensure credible and effective barangay elections.

COMELEC to use 2017 Ballots for 2018 Village & Youth polls

INTRAMUROS, Manila (19 Jan 2018) - The Commission on Elections is set to use the already printed October 23, 2017 official ballots, accountable and non-accountable forms for purposes of the May 14, 2018 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections in effort to save public funds and government resources.

Under Resolution No. 10248, voters in the National Capital Region (NCR), Luzon and Visayas Regions will be using the 59,578,346 official ballots which were printed from August 9, 2017 to September 30, 2017.


New and additional ballots, accountable and non-accountable forms will also be printed for those who registered from November 6, 2017 to November 30, 2017.  There were 843,588 voter applicants, but the Election Registration Boards (ERBs) are yet to verify, certify and seal the List of Voters on February 7, 2018.  To avoid confusion, these new ballots will bear October 23, 2017 as the date of the elections.


However, the ballots, accountable and non-accountable forms that will be printed for the Mindanao Regions will bear May 14, 2018 as the date of the elections.

No official ballots and other forms were printed for the entirety of Mindanao following the postponement of the elections there, as per COMELEC Resolution EM No. 17-003 promulgated on September 5, 2017.

Section 43 of the Omnibus Election Code does not prescribe the form and contents of the official barangay ballots nor does it require that the date of the election be specified. [Education and Information Department]

Polls postponement, costly - COMELEC

"Postponing the Barangay and SK polls, doesn't come cheaply."  COMELEC spokesperson Atty. James Jimenez announced in his Facebook page, COMELEC Spox, Wednesday, 20 September 2017.

Jimenez explained, "By the time the Senate voted to pass the postponement measure however, the Commission on Elections had already printed 26,189,091 ballots for the Barangay elections and 1,761,764 ballots for the SK polls."

House adopts Senate version to move village and SK polls to May 2018

THE House of Representatives adopted the Senate bill seeking to move the barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or youth council) elections to May 2018.