THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has started the decryption and printing of ballot images from three pilot provinces for the recount in relation to the poll protest of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo.
Marcos' spokesman, Victor Rodriguez, said Tuesday the Comelec started on Monday to decrypt and print the ballot images and other data found in the secure digital (SD) cards in its main office in Intramuros, Manila.
The decryption and printing of ballots cover precincts in the provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental as ordered by the Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).
Rodriguez said the decryption and printing of ballot images of the three pilot areas will take at least seven months to finish.
He added the PET recently ordered its exploratory teams to start locating the ballot boxes in the clustered precincts of Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental so that it could order its retrieval and transfer to Manila.
Marcos lost to Robredo by 263,473 votes in the May 2016 elections. (YJG/SunStar Philippines)