Comelec seeks bigger budget for 2027 elections preparation

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday, September 1, appealed to the House of Representatives to restore its proposed P52.66-billion budget request for 2027. The Comelec requested a higher budget in preparation for the national and local elections in 2028. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), however, only recommended a P44.7-billion budget for the poll body in 2027. Speaking at a House budget hearing, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said P9.12 billion was cut from the Comelec’s budget for preparation for the national and local elections. He warned that the cuts could compromise the poll body’s preparations if the budget proves insufficient. The Comelec estimated that there would be around 74 million voters by 2028, which would also increase the demand for a higher number of voting precincts. The DBM also slashed P5.75 billion from the Comelec’s proposed budget for regular operations and P345 million from its other locally funded projects. If the budget cuts were not restored by Congress, the Comelec said there would be a shortage of 9,310 election counting machines. This could increase the number of voters assigned to each polling precinct, resulting in longer lines and voting times on election day. Garcia said the cuts would also affect the printing of ballots, forms, and voter information sheets, as well as the deployment of machines and supplies to polling places. Other affected expenses include ballot packaging, consultancy for an international certification entity, and overtime pay. The DBM also removed the P118-million budget proposal of the Comelec for the lease of warehouses and venues. Without this, Garcia said they will not have a venue for the filing of certificates of candidacy in September 2027. The filing of certificates of candidacy is typically held in October, but the Comelec wants to set the filing period from September 20 to 27, 2027. The Comelec said an earlier filing of certificates of candidacy will allow the poll body to print ballots earlier. The 2027 budget proposal also contains no allocation for the Comelec’s capital outlay, which covers physical assets such as buildings. Garcia said the commission’s lack of adequate office space has long been a problem. – Rappler.com