Comelec Warns P9-B Budget Cut Jeopardizes 2028 Elections

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday urged the House of Representatives to restore the P9-billion cut from its 2027 budget, warning it could compromise the 2028 national elections. During the House Committee on Appropriations budget hearing, Comelec Commissioner George Erwin M. Garcia said that the poll body’s Preparatory National and Local Elections (PNLE) budget was reduced by about P9 billion, while its regular agency budget was also cut by about P6 billion. The commission has a proposed P29.16-billion budget for 2027 under the National Expenditure Program, P9.3 billion higher than its Fiscal Year 2026 level. Mr. Garcia said a total of P15 billion was removed from the agency’s proposal. “We cannot compromise that because that will compromise the election,” he told lawmakers. The poll body is projecting around 74 million registered voters for the 2028 elections, up from 71 million currently. Mr. Garcia said that increase would require more voting machines and precincts to prevent long queues. Comelec is seeking funding for 124,310 voting machines, including around 10,000 contingency units. Mr. Garcia said the budget reduction could result in about 8,000 fewer machines. The poll body wants to limit each precinct to 600 voters. Without the restoration of funds, however, Mr. Garcia said the number could again rise to 800 to 1,000 voters per precinct, which happened during the previous elections. The commissioner said that the poll body could accept cuts to its regular agency budget, but asked lawmakers not to reduce funding for election preparations. He appealed to the House and the Senate to restore the P9-billion cut to the PNLE budget, saying the funds were critical to ensuring adequate preparations for the 2028 presidential and local elections. — Pexcel John Bacon