The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will start the recount of ballots on February 2, 2026 in the election protest involving 48 pilot protested precincts in Pampanga, according to an order issued by the agency's First Division.
In its January 26, 2026 Order, the Commission ordered that the recount be conducted at the Palacio del Gobernador Building in Intramuros, Manila, with sessions scheduled daily from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. until completion.
The order stated that the ballot boxes containing the contested ballots have already been delivered, inventoried, sealed, and placed under COMELEC custody ahead of the recount.
The Comelec First Division has found that the election protest filed by former Board Member Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab against City of San Fernando Mayor Vilma Caluag is "sufficient in form and content," according to an order issued on December 23, 2025.
Pineda-Cayabyab, who lost in the May 2025 city mayoral race, filed an election protest before the Comelec Main Office in Intramuros on May 22, 2025.
The former board member is seeking a manual recount of all ballots cast in the city’s 239 precincts.