Printing of voters' lists may be delayed, Comelec supplier says

The printing of voters' lists — which indicate names of individuals entitled to cast ballots for the May elections — may be delayed, the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) printing supplier said on Wednesday. Additional batches of printer ink earlier delivered to the Comelec remains stored in the poll body's office barely a month before the elections, said Andrew Chiong of Philcopy, the company that supplies printers and toners to the Comelec. The Comelec's delayed "actions" can cause delay in the printing of voters' lists and affect the orderly conduct of the polls, Chiong told GMA News. “The Comelec acted a bit late. I am not blaming anyone but for me, looking at the scenario, the elections are in May. The voters’ list, for me, should’ve been printed probably last month," he said in an interview with GMA News. Four hundred toners of higher specification remain on hold at the Comelec’s information technology (IT) department, since these still have to undergo certain tests, he said. However, Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal allayed fears of any delays in the printing of voters’ lists, since 65 percent of the lists have already been printed. “The commitment was for 400 of this specification, you have to deliver it, and they delivered. We check on the delay, and there was no delay," he said in a separate interview with GMA News. Based on data provided by the poll body, 1,078 copies of the total 1,653 certified voters’ lists needed on election day have already been produced as of posting time. - Andreo C. Calonzo, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV