NEARLY 4,000 ballot boxes that will be used in the May 13 midterm elections in Cebu Province arrived on Thursday, April 11.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) tapped LBC Express, a forwarding company, in transporting the ballot boxes, which were placed inside 12 40-footer cargo containers, from Manila to Cebu.
According to Acting Cebu Provincial Election Supervisor Jerome Brillantes, the new ballot boxes were stored inside Comelec’s warehouse in Mandaue City.
The Presidential Electoral Tribunal ordered the Comelec not to use the old boxes used in the 2016 national elections as it is still resolving the electoral protest filed by former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo.
The central office of Comelec was forced to buy new ones.
The white ballot box looks like a garbage bin. A vote counting machine (VCM) is placed on top of it.
For his part, Acting Danao City Election Officer Ferdinand Gujilde said every clustered precinct has a ballot box.
There are 3,716 clustered precincts in Cebu Province, including 759 in Cebu City and 234 in Lapu-Lapu City.
Mandaue City has 244 clustered precincts for 226,091 voters; Toledo City, 138 clustered precincts for 117,150 voters; and Danao City, 115 clustered precincts for 93,088 voters.
Sometime in the third or fourth week of April, Brillantes said some 4,000 VCMs will arrive in Cebu. Each municipality and city will be given extra machines in case of machine failures.
The election officer expects that the ballots will be transported to Cebu a few days before the elections. (from SCG of SuperBalita Cebu/KAL)