The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday kicked off a three-day Local Absentee Voting (LAV) period for the 2025 midterm elections, enabling over 57,000 government workers and other eligible voters who will be preoccupied on election day, to cast their ballots in advance.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that under the law, only government officials and employees, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police (PNP), Comelec staff, and other designated personnel on election duty are permitted to vote early.
He explained that LAV voters could only vote for national positions, saying “we still do not have a law that allows private individuals to vote earlier.”
Comelec personnel were among the first to cast their votes after they lined up at a polling precinct inside the poll body’s office in Intramuros, Manila.
A total of 57,689 individuals registered for LAV, with the majority coming from the Philippine Army. Within the Comelec itself, 922 employees and officials are eligible to vote early.
Garcia said this is the first time the LAV is automated which means, there are no machines in areas where the polling precincts will be set up.
“The LAV ballots will be securely stored, and the envelopes will be sealed. All the envelopes will be opened on May 12 and processed by the machines,” he said.
The results for the LAV voting will be announced on the night of the May 12 elections, Garcia added.
He said the Commission is anticipating an 80% voter turnout in this year’s absentee voting, which is similar to the turnout during the 2022 presidential elections.
Meanwhile, the Quezon City Police District on Monday began to conduct local absentee voting for its members until April 29 at its Camp Karingal headquarters.
Col. Randy Glenn Silvio, district director for Administration and officer-in-charge, said 665 personnel would cast their votes during the period.
The absentee voting would enable the police personnel who are on duty or unable to go to their designated polling centers to exercise their right of suffrage.
“The local absentee voting is a vital opportunity for our personnel to fulfill their civic duty while maintaining their responsibility to ensure security during the upcoming elections,” he noted.
Around 33,000 of their policemen are expected to take advantage of the local absentee voting (LAV) opportunity.
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil cast his vote at the opening of the LAV in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Monday, emphasizing the significance of exercising the right to suffrage even among law enforcers.
“We are not just enforcers of democracy — we are part of it. Voting is not only our right; it is our duty, and one way we show our love for our country,” he said.
Marbil also assured the public of the national police’s full readiness to secure the upcoming midterm elections.
“The PNP reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding the people’s will and upholding democracy as the nation moves closer to election day,” Marbil said.
“We are ready to ensure that every Filipino can vote in safety and peace. We will intensify checkpoints, chokepoints, and patrol operations to prevent any disruptions,” the PNP chief added.
He explained that some police personnel were also trained to do election duties in case of worst-case scenarios where some election workers fail to report for duty due to threats and security situations.
