The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is asking lawmakers to allocate a budget of P5.7 billion for the upcoming twin elections in 2025.
This budget will be used to prepare for both the midterm elections in May 2025 and the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia expressed that they did not anticipate the need for this budget initially.
The proposed budget for Comelec in 2024 is P27.34 billion, which is significantly lower than the P44.77 billion that the Commission requested.
Additionally, the proposed budget does not include funds for internet voting for overseas Filipinos, which would require P794.4 million. The budget for voter education has also been reduced by around half, according to Garcia.
Source: PhilNews24 | September 12, 2023
