THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday ruled out reverting from computerized elections to manual tabulation of the ballots, citing as reasons limited time and huge expenses.
Comelec chairman George Garcia issued the statement in reaction to suggestions to go manual in counting the votes at the precinct level for the 2025 midterm elections.
The Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) recommended the old-fashioned way of counting the ballots in the May 12, 2025 midterm polls.
Garcia argued that switching back to manual would require a huge amount of money, which the poll body could not afford.
“If we want a manual counting process, we will require an additional budget. This is necessary as we will need to prepare election returns, set up tally boards, and increase the salaries of teachers who are unwilling to work extra hours without appropriate compensation. It is possible that they may still count the votes two days later,” he explained.
The Comelec chief also dismissed allegations of possible election fraud in the upcoming national and local elections, giving assurance that such fraud is impossible.
Garcia also assured the public that the elections would be secure and safe, emphasizing that all systems used—including vote counting machines and transmission devices—have undergone thorough testing and certification processes.
He said nonetheless, the Comelec will also conduct a random manual audit.
We respect their opinions and recommendations. But we regret that they did not present these in Congress sooner, allowing for the possibility of legislative action. However, there is nothing we can change at this time,” he added.