The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the National Printing Office (NPO) have agreed to continue on Good Friday until Black Saturday the printing of ballots that will be used for the May automated national and local elections.

Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal announced this, saying both agencies are working overtime in an attempt to expedite the ballot production.

"We will print during Holy Week and even Good Friday. We will have 50 million ballots on election day as scheduled," the commissioner said referring to the April 25 target deadline of Comelec.

He took back his previous statement on their plan to halt the production on Friday because doing so, Larrazabal said, will lead to "production shortfall" of two to three days.

"When you start printing, you need to wrap up production again so you take two to three days of production shortfall. So the decision is on Friday, we will still print out ballots," Larrazabal explained.

Early this week, some 26.278 million ballots of the total 50.7 million were printed, passing the 50-percent mark, according to the poll body.

The Comelec has reminded candidates that campaigning is prohibited during these days of the Holy Week.

Based on Resolution No. 8758, the poll body reiterated that campaigning is not allowed effective yesterday until Black Saturday

"It is unlawful for any person, whether or not a voter or a candidate, or for any political party, or association of persons of engage in election campaign or partisan political activity on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, eve of Election Day and on Election Day," the resolution read.

Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez said candidates should also refrain from playing their campaign jingles around Metro Manila and other regions in deference to the Holy Week.

As this developed, opposition vice presidential candidate Jejomar Binay said in a statement that the Commission on Elections should apply its diligence in counting the television airtime of candidates to investigating motu propio President Arroyo’s recent hiring binge to determine if these violate the ban on midnight appointments.

"If the poll body is so gung ho in reprimanding candidates who have exceeded their television advertisement allotment, then it should apply the same proactive stance in determining if Mrs. Arroyo had exceeded her authority in making election-period appointments," he said.

Binay said the poll body cannot ignore a big issue like Mrs. Arroyo’s wholesale release of new appointment papers to high government positions.

He said the Comelec had even reprimanded candidates for plastering posters in wrong places, detailing the sizes of the posters and the places where they’ve been put.

"I hope this vigilance and attention to detail should be applied on Mrs. Arroyo’s midnight appointments as well. It cannot be so finicky on posters while being insensitive on presidential appointments," Binay said.