The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is encouraging greater participation among overseas Filipino voters as the month-long overseas voting begins on April 13, while also reinforcing security measures for the 2025 national and local elections through inter-agency coordination with top security officials.
Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia expressed hope that at least 50 percent of the 1.321 million registered overseas voters will participate in this year’s elections, bolstered by the introduction of Internet voting in 77 out of 93 posts abroad.
Filipinos can now cast their votes using mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.
Around 40,000 voters have already enrolled for online voting through ov.comelec.gov.ph/enroll, where each registrant will be issued login credentials to vote remotely.
Garcia highlighted the convenience of this system, particularly for seafarers who no longer need to dock to vote.
He assured the public that Internet voting is secure, having passed international certifications and source code reviews, with various security measures in place.
Meanwhile, 13 posts abroad—including countries like China and Russia—will use automated counting machines (ACMs), as local laws do not permit online voting.
In the 2022 elections, overseas voter turnout reached 40.59 percent, the highest in history.
For the 2025 polls, overseas voters will elect 12 senators and one party-list group, with voting set to end on May 12 at 7 p.m. (Philippine Standard Time).
In line with preparations for both overseas and local voting, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Comelec convened on Friday for an inter-agency command conference.
The agencies aligned strategies to ensure safe, honest, and credible elections, including risk assessments, deployment coordination, and contingency planning.
Led by AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil, PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan, and Comelec chair Garcia, the meeting underscored the government’s whole-of-nation approach to safeguarding democratic processes and protecting voters’ rights. The collaboration reflects a united and proactive effort to address security threats and prevent election-related violence or fraud.
