The Commission on Elections said on Monday that the printing of more than two million official ballots for the referendum on the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law will be completed before Friday this week.
Comelec Deputy Executive Director for Administration Helen Flores said the printing of the remaining 600,000 ballots is expected to be finished by Wednesday.
Flores led the inspection of the facilities of the National Printing Office in Quezon City where the ballots for the Feb. 6 BOL plebiscite were being printed.
The Comelec earlier announced that the plebiscite for the ratification of the BOL will be conducted on two separate days, Jan. 21 and Feb. 6—to allow time for the full resolution of petitions for voluntary inclusion in the plebiscite.
Comelec Printing Committee vice chairman Maria Victoria Dulcero said the printing of some 600,000 ballots for the Feb. 6 plebiscite is almost finished.
“We are almost done. In two days we will be able to deliver to our packing and shipping committee for deployment of the ballots,” she told reporters.
The printed ballots will undergo manual verification process and will be submitted to the reception and verification committee.
More than 1.5 million ballots for the Jan. 21 referendum for the areas in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Cotabato City, Isabela, and Basilan have already been printed and shipments have already started.
The February plebiscite will be held in 28 areas located in the province of Lanao del Norte except Iligan City; the municipalities of Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pikit, Tulunan and Pigkawayan in the province of North Cotabato
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya, Jr. on Monday sought a congressional inquiry against Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno — this time for the latter's failure to allocate funds for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BOL).
In a privilege speech, Andaya said Diokno, who is currently being investigated by the House of Representatives on the alleged irregularities in the budget preparation, has a lot of explaining to do.
"The prospect of lasting peace in Mindanao is in peril," Andaya said.
"Everybody is praying for the success of the BOL plebiscite on January 21 and February 6. Yet nobody is asking if we have the funds necessary to conduct the plebiscite. I hate to be the one to burst the bubble. The DBM has not allocated a budget, not even a centavo, for the BOL plebiscite," Andaya, chairman of the House committee on rules who investigates Diokno, said.
He said the Comelec needs P857 million for the BOL plebiscite. "DBM Sec. Benjamin Dioko, however, forgot to include this amount in the P10 billion allocated for Comelec in the 2019 national budget," said Andaya.
Andaya said he would want to know as to where the Comelec would get the funding for the plebiscite.
"The budget for BOL plebiscite is not the only item which Sec. Diokno forgot to include in the 2019 budget. Even the budget for the BOL implementation is missing from budget documents submitted by the DBM to Congress," Andaya said.
Andaya said Senator Ralph Recto has estimated that the implementation of the BOL will cost P109 billion in the first year, P369 billion in the first three years, and will reach P1.981 trillion for a period of 10 years.
The amount does not include funds for social services like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, and pension for senior citizens, he added.
According to Andaya, also not included in his estimate was an annual outlay for the maintenance of airports, wharves, roads, bridges, and irrigation.
Andaya said his committee might issue a subpoena to compel Diokno to attend the hearing on the alleged flood-control scam.
“We will subpoena him (Diokno) if he does not show up,” the majority leader told a press conference. “We will play hide and seek in Luneta if he doesn’t show up.”
Diokno failed to show up during Andaya panel's hearing in Naga City last January 3.
Diokno is also accused of inserting P75 billion in the 2019 proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and for allocating a huge portion to flood-control projects, even in areas that relatively flood-free.
Andaya's panel will continue its congressional inquiry tomorrow (Tuesday).