Comelec to acquire more than 70K new ballot boxes for 2019 polls

“Many ballot boxes are currently either involved in pending electoral protests or covered by the Precautionary Protective Order (PPO) issued by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET),” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said in an interview Thursday. (File Photo By Elmer B. Domingo – Own work/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be acquiring over 70,000 new ballot boxes to be used in the May 2019 midterm polls as majority of the ballots used in the May 2016 elections are unavailable.

“Many ballot boxes are currently either involved in pending electoral protests or covered by the Precautionary Protective Order (PPO) issued by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET),” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said in an interview Thursday.

“We cannot use these ballot boxes for the 2019 elections, making it necessary to procure new ones,” he added.

In 2016, the PET issued a PPO ordering the poll body to preserve and safeguard the integrity of, among others, all the ballot boxes and their contents, including the ballots, voter’s receipts and election returns involved in the protest case of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

against Vice President Leni Robredo.

According to the Invitation to Bid of the Comelec-Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), it is looking for suppliers for 72,519 pieces of ballot boxes, with an approved budget for the contract (ABC), amounting to PHP173,755,524 or PHP2,396 per ballot box.

“Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening,” the Comelec-BAC said.

Interested bidders may acquire a complete set of bidding documents until September 21 at the Comelec-BAC Secretariat located at the Shipping Center Bldg. in Intramuros, Manila.

The pre-bid conference will be held on September 7 at 10 a.m. at the EBAD Conference Room located at the Palacio del Gobernador Bldg. in Intramuros, Manila.

All bids should be submitted to the BAC Secretariat on or before 9 a.m. of September 21 at the EBAD Conference Room. The opening of the bids will follow after an hour in the same venue.