Comelec starts deploying ballots for local absentee voting

By Ferdinand Patinio, Philippine News Agency

LAV. Apayao Police Provincial Office personnel receive Local Absentee Voting (LAV) paraphernalia delivered by Comelec representatives at the Camp Elias K. Bulut Sr. Training Center in Barangay Sta. Lina, Luna, Apayao on Wednesday (April 16, 2025). Police officers are among those allowed to participate in the LAV, which runs from April 28 to 30. (Photo: Apayao Police Provincial Office/Facebook)

MANILA – Government agencies and offices that have requested to participate in the local absentee voting (LAV) have started receiving the official ballots for the May 12 polls.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said Thursday that the deployment of the official ballots for the LAV started on Wednesday.

He said personnel who will deliver the ballots will explain to the official or personnel of the requesting agency or office the procedure of the voting.

“Those who will deliver will conduct a briefer on the procedures, which are to be observed by the heads of requesting agencies on how to conduct voting and also on how voters should vote,” the poll body chief said in a Viber message.

“They will also be instructed on how to transmit their accomplished ballots back to the Committee for counting on May 12, 2025.”

The LAV runs from April 28 to 30, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The official ballots are being deployed in the different government agencies, headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), as well as in local Comelec offices.

The poll body has approved 57,689 LAV voters, which include 29,030 AFP personnel, 23,448 PNP personnel, 4,206 government employees, and 1,005 members of the media.

“For media voters in the NCR (National Capital Region), ballots will be delivered to the ORED (Office of Regional Election Director) of NCR, voting will be done there,” Garcia said.

Meanwhile, the LAV for media members in highly-urbanized cities outside NCR would be held at the Office of the Provincial Election Supervisor.

For media members in other areas, LAV would be held in their respective Offices of the Election Officer, he added.

The voters will be selecting 12 senators and one party-list organization using automated counting machines.