Comelec to store barangay, SK poll materials in Laguna warehouse

FILE: COMELEC Spokesman James Jimenez (COMELEC Philippines on Facebook)james jimebz

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will store official ballots and other election supplies at their warehouse in Sta. Rosa, Laguna following the postponement of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the 59.5 million official ballots and other election forms will be moved out of the National Printing Office (NPO) in Quezon City and transported to Laguna.

“We can’t store them at NPO. The Sta. Rosa facility, on the other hand, is available,” he said.

On the other hand, the Comelec Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) has allocated PHP241,380 for the lease and deployment of 500 wooden pallets to be used in the warehouse in transferring the election materials.

A total of PHP174,180 has been allocated for the pallets, while the six trips to deploy the pallets to the warehouse would cost PHP11,200 per trip for a total cost of PHP67,200.

The Sta. Rosa warehouse also keeps the vote-counting machines that were used in the 2016 national and local elections.

Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 10952 moving the date of the village and youth elections from Oct. 23, 2017 to the second Monday of May 2018. (PNA)