By JEN BAYLON
The official ballots for the upcoming May 12 midterm elections arrived in Negros Occidental early yesterday morning, marking a crucial step in the province’s election preparations.
Provincial election supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria confirmed that the ballots were unloaded from the vessel yesterday.
They were immediately transported to a secured hub managed by an authorized logistics company in Bacolod City’s Barangay Alijis, he said.
Ananoria said the process was closely monitored to ensure the integrity and safety of the election materials.
The distribution of the ballots to the treasurer’s offices in city and municipal halls across Negros Occidental is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6.
Local government units will then safeguard the ballots until election day, as mandated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Ananoria said.
More than 2,000 automated counting machines (ACMs), which will be used to tally votes, had already been deployed earlier to various polling centers throughout the province.
Meanwhile, the final testing and sealing of these machines is set for Wednesday, May 7, both in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.
Ananoria said this process will be open to the public, allowing stakeholders and observers to witness the integrity checks and ensure transparency in the election process.
Earlier, officials of Comelec in Bacolod and Negros Occidental assured the public that all necessary measures are in place for the smooth and secure conduct of the elections, including contingency units for ACMs and technical support hubs to address any issues that may arise on election day.
The arrival and distribution of ballots, along with the readiness of ACMs, signal that the province is on track for a credible and orderly election on May 12.
Negros Occidental, including its capital Bacolod, has a total of 2,009,564 registered voters, making it one of the largest voting populations in the country.
The province has over 13,000 clustered precincts and nearly 750 voting centers, highlighting the logistical scale of the election preparations.
More than 1,700 police officers will be deployed by the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) to intensify security preparations ahead of the midterm elections.
The NOCPPO aims to assign at least two police personnel per voting precinct on election day.
The Philippine Army will also assist by securing remote voting centers, particularly in far-flung areas in Negros Occidental.
Several quick response teams will be deployed to safeguard the transport of election paraphernalia and ACMs./JB, WDJ