Comelec to destroy six million rejected ballots, trimmings

The Commission on Elections has started disposing of approximately six million rejected ballots from its warehouse in Santa Rosa, Laguna. The ballots are being transported to a paper mill in Pampanga for destruction.

According to Mao dela Cruz's Saturday Super Radyo dzBB report, pallets of rejected ballots and paper trimmings were loaded onto trucks bound for the Fifth Discipline Packaging Paper Corporation, located in the TECO Industrial Complex in Barangay Bundagul, Mabalacat City.

Comelec had earlier stated that all disposed of ballots—whether accepted or rejected—along with ballot trimmings will be processed through direct melting in a dissolving solution for recycling.

Shredding and micro-shredding are prohibited under the National Archives of the Philippines' regulations.

A resident auditor from Comelec and an election watchdog witnessed the ballot hauling to ensure proper procedure was followed.

Meanwhile, the National Printing Office is set to complete printing over 69 million ballots for the upcoming Eleksyon 2025.

Comelec also showcased its transparency servers at its data center in Makati City to members of the media and election watchdogs.

These servers will receive transmissions from all voting precincts nationwide and will be used by the media to report voting results.

The servers are stored in a tightly secured, sealed room to ensure data protection. — DVM, GMA Integrated News

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