THE Commission on Elections is dropping its plan to acquire over 90,000 voter receipt receptacles to be used in the May 9 polls.
According to Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista, they are not pushing through with the purchase of 93,000 voter receipt receptacles, which had an approved budget of P27.9 million.
“We are not pushing through with the bidding of the receptacles. So we will be saving almost P30 million from the receptacles,” Bautista told reporters.
Comelec opened the bidding process for the voter receipt receptacles with each unit pegged at P300 last week after the Supreme Court ordered the poll body to issue voter receipts on Election Day to serve as the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).
The voter receipts, however, cannot be brought out of the polling precincts and must be placed in the voter receipt receptacles.
Instead of purchasing new ones, the poll chief said they will just be recycling the corrugated black box used in the delivery of the official ballots to the voting centers.
“We will just use the boxes used in shipping the ballots… the black corrugated boxes,” the poll chief said.
Based on the plan, once the Board of Election Inspectors have set up and removed the official ballots from the corrugated box, the latter will then be used as the receptacle, where voters will deposit their receipts.
At the close of voting period, the receptacles will have to be sealed, signed by the BEIs, and placed inside the ballot boxes.
Meanwhile, the Legal Network for Truthful Elections suggested that instead of purchasing unnecessary Election Day uniforms, the Commission on Elections should add the compensation of public school teachers who will serve as Board of Election Inspectors.
In a statement, the group also slammed the Comelec’s plan to spend P22 million for 277,527 pieces of BEI Election Day Uniforms and 6,158 pieces of Comelec Employee Election Day T-Shirts.
“20 million pesos for BEI shirts. 75 pesos each. Is this really necessary? Hello @COMELEC ,” LENTE asked in its Twitter account (@lente_ph).
“Unnecessary waste of Comelec resources. Divert money instead to additional per diem of BEIs,” LENTE added.
All public school teachers serving as BEI members on May 9 elections will only receive an honorarium of P4,500 each.
Last week, the Comelec opened the public bidding for suppliers of Election Day uniforms for its employees and BEI members.
This will mark the first time that the Comelec will employ Election Day uniforms since its establishment in 1940.
Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez, meanwhile, defended the acquisition of Election Day uniforms saying it is aimed in “uplifting” the dignity of those serving in the field.
Jimenez explained that uplifting the pride of the poll workers by ensuring that they are “attired properly” would help ensure the credibility of the elections.
“If you’re looking at making even the election workers aware of the dignity of what they are doing, then you’re also creating another frontline in the battle against election fraud,” Jimenez said.
As to questions on why it is making such an initiative when there had been successful elections in the past without the uniforms, the poll official said that is the point of “improving the voting experience.”
“Sometimes it’s not enough to be satisfied with just surviving,” said Jimenez.
