UNLOADING OF BALLOTS. A policeman keeps watch on the unloading of boxes containing the official ballots for Negros Occidental and Bacolod City at the province’s Food Terminal Market building on North Capitol Road in Bacolod on Thursday (April 28, 2022). More than 1.9 million voters in the province and its capital city will cast their votes during the May 9 national and local elections. (Photo courtesy of NegOcc Security and Safety Division)
BACOLOD CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Occidental received on Wednesday night the official ballots for the 1.946 million voters in the province and this capital city for the May 9 national and local elections.
“The official ballots arrived last night around 9 p.m.,” Provincial Election Supervisor Roberto Salazar told reporters on Thursday.
From the Bredco port here, the sealed boxes containing the ballots were delivered and unloaded by cargo trucks at the province’s Food Terminal Market building on North Capitol Road situated near the Comelec provincial office.
Salazar said they are conducting an inventory and segregation before these will be distributed to the treasurer’s offices in every city and municipality this week.
“They are the custodians of our accountable election forms,” he added.
In this city, policemen from the Bacolod City Police Office are tasked to secure the delivery of the ballots while for the 12 component cities and 19 municipalities across the province, both personnel of the Negros Occidental Police Office and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly the Philippine Army, will guard the distribution of the ballots.
Salazar said each box contains ballots equivalent to the number of registered voters in each clustered precinct.
“The actual count will happen on election day. We cannot open the box of the ballots (before that),” he added.
Data of the Comelec showed there are more than 1.619 million registered voters in Negros Occidental who will troop to 2,456 clustered precincts located in 698 voting centers.
Meanwhile, Bacolod City has some 327,403 voters who are assigned to 450 clustered precincts in 45 voting centers. (PNA)
