By Ferdinand Patinio | Philippine News Agency
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced Thursday that 66 aspirants will vie for 12 senatorial posts in the May 2025 midterm polls.
“Next week, we will release the ballot faces for the entire country. The candidates for senators, the final number is 66. We did not get a TRO (temporary restraining order) from the Supreme Court,” Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said in an interview.
He was referring to the 117 who were declared nuisance candidates.
Garcia said placement on the ballot would be in alphabetical order.
“We will be printing the ballots, estimated 73 million, for 77 days. Final na, it’s Jan. 6. If you compute 77 days, April 14 next year, the printing will be done. Gano’n ang timeline namin, napakasikip,” Garcia said.
“The ballots should be in the municipality and city by the first week of May. We need to finish printing immediately by April 14.”
He also noted that they moved the start of the printing of the ballots from the middle of December to early next year to have time to resolve pending nuisance cases.
“The final date is Jan. 6 at all costs. At least the Comelec still has time to resolve the pending cases. With two printers of (service provider) Miru Systems, so 1.1 million per day,” Garcia said.
He also reported that 80% of the local nuisance cases have been resolved.
A total of 43,033 candidates for national and local positions filed their certificates of candidacy for the May 12, 2025 polls.