THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) seeks to print about 1.5 million ballots daily starting Jan. 27 by using more printers after multiple delays caused by restraining orders issued by the Philippine Supreme Court.

Comelec is proposing to use two more printers to fast-track ballot printing for the May 12 midterm elections, according to documents from spokesman John Rex C. Laudiangco.

“This committee respectfully proposes to target a 1.5 million official ballots daily output,” Helen G. Aguila-Flores, vice-chairperson of Comelec’s printing committee, wrote in the document. “This gives us more time for reprints and for the initially low-yielding verification process.”

“With a combined daily target output of 1.5 million ballots, the printing committee anticipates completing the printing process in 48 days, excluding verification and reprinting phases,” she added.

To implement the plan, the committee prioritized printing ballots for regions after the dispatch order set by the packing and shipping committee.

Ballots for overseas voting, local absentee voting, midterms and parliamentary elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Cagayan Valley will be printed first. Ballots for Calabarzon, Central Luzon and the National Capital Region will be printed last.

The commission once again rescheduled the printing of official ballots to Jan. 27 from Jan. 24 after a senatorial bet covered by the high court’s latest round of restraining orders withdrew from the race.

Comelec also postponed the scheduled upload of new ballot faces on its website, originally set for Jan. 23.

Comelec started printing official ballots on Jan. 6, but the high tribunal issued five restraining orders on Jan. 14, stopping the production to include additional names in the ballots. About 6 million ballots that cost P22 each got wasted, Comelec said.

Filipinos will choose a new set of congressmen and 12 of the 24-member Senate, along with other local government officials on May 12. The Bangsamoro region will also hold its first parliamentary elections. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana