Several netizens are circulating a photo of a ballot template from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) for the upcoming May 12 midterm elections with “China” on its header. This needs context.
Facebook (FB) users have shared a photo of the ballot since Jan. 5. On Jan. 7, a reader sent the same ballot copy to the VERA Files Misinformation Tipline for verification. The ballot carried the header:
“May 12, 2024 NATIONAL, LOCAL AND BARMM
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS,
BEIJING PE, CHINA, ASIA PACIFIC.”
In the comment section of the posts, several netizens expressed dismay and said it was a confirmation that China has “already invaded” the Philippines.
This needs context. This is an official ballot face template released by the COMELEC for overseas voting, which bears the address of the Philippine Embassy where the polls will be held. Ballots for overseas voting in previous elections also bore the names of the respective countries on their headers.
This is not the ballot template that will be rolled out locally for this year’s elections.
In a Jan. 14 phone call interview with VERA Files, COMELEC spokesperson Atty. John Rex Laudiangco explained that the ballot face templates for overseas voting are for the embassies and consulates situated in countries where internet voting is not allowed. This includes China, Russia, Timor Leste, and Myanmar.
Physical ballots and automated counting machines will be delivered to these Philippine Embassies – including those in Beijing and Shanghai, where the Filipino voters will physically vote. This explains the “PE” in the header.
“Ang rule po kasi ni COMELEC, unahin natin ang setup ng overseas voting muna. In general, lahat po ng Philippine embassies and consulate, are structured as precincts….So ‘yung PE doon, Philippine Embassy. Beijing, PE,” Laudiangco said.
(The COMELEC’s rule is that it will prioritize the setup of overseas voting. In general, all Philippine embassies and consulates are structured as precincts….The PE (on the ballot stands for) Philippine Embassy. Beijing, PE.)
Laudiangco also provided context on why the template for Beijing was the first one released to the media on Jan. 5, the same day the posts with missing context circulated among netizens.
“Ang unang sineserialize na ballot face ay ‘yung pinakamalayo. Dahil ‘yung pinakamalayo, siya ‘yung unang ide-deploy. Ganun po kami mag-serialize ng ballot face. Ganun kami mag-deploy. So dahil itong balota nila, pang-overseas ang pinakamalayo, una po itong ginawa and national positions lang siya. Nagkataon lang na alphabetically, nauna si Beijing. So ‘yun ‘yung nilabas namin na sample,” Laudiangco added.
(The first ballot faces serialized are for those situated the farthest because those are the first ones to be deployed. That’s how we serialize ballot faces. That’s how we deploy. So since these ballots for overseas are the farthest, this is the first one made and they are for national positions only. It just so happened that alphabetically, Beijing is the first, and that’s why it was the first sample we released.)
Only 10,599 overseas Filipino voters will be using physical ballots and the rest will vote through digital ballots that they can access using cellphones, tablets, laptops and personal computers.
In general, there are more than 1,600 ballot face templates to be used for the midterm elections.
On Jan. 6, COMELEC began printing the 73 million ballots that will be used for the May elections. The commission has also created Task Force Katotohanan, Katapatan, Katarungan sa Halalan that investigates and takes action against election-related mis- and disinformation, in partnership with social media platforms and the media. The public may report anonymously to the task force any mis- or disinformation or violation of COMELEC resolutions and election laws.
VERA Files Fact Check has debunked other election-related mis- and disinformation ahead of the coming polls. If you see any posts that might need fact-checking, don’t hesitate to send them to our misinformation tip line on FB Messenger.
At least 11 posts lacking context posted by FB users and pages collectively garnered 180 reactions, 51 comments and 32 shares.#
