Some 1,071 soldiers, police officers, government employees, and media personnel has started to cast their votes, as the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) opened local absentee voting in Puerto Princesa City and Palawan on Wednesday.
According to Jomel Ordas, spokesperson for the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Palawan, those who have been approved as local absentee voters may vote in specified polling stations in Puerto Princesa City and Palawan from April 27 to April 29.
“Base sa binigay sa amin na summary ng CLAV nasa 1,071 [local absentee voters]. Nagsimula na ngayong araw, meron na din doon sa Puerto Princesa City Police Station sa Brgy. San Pedro,” Ordas told Palawan News in a phone interview.
Local absentee voters, like overseas voters, can only vote for national offices such as the president, vice president, 12 senators, and a party list group.
Instead of using automated election ballots, local absentees will vote manually, writing down their choices on ballots given to them either by their supervisors or a COMELEC official at the office where they registered as absentee voters.
Approved local absentee voting is a privilege granted to individuals who apply because of their work assignment in areas where they are not registered voters in the upcoming polls on May 9, 2022.
Ordas said that ballots will be secured and sealed and will be available for counting after the poll closes on May 9.
“Naka-seal at secured ang mga balota at bubuksan lang at bibilangin lang ng 7 p.m. pagkatapos ng botohan sa May 9,” Ordas said.
The polling center in the Puerto Princesa City Police Office in Brgy. San Pedro was among the designated polling centers for police officers who were set to be deployed throughout the province on election day.
Throughout the Philippines, a total of 93,698 government and media personnel applied for local absentee voting, with 9,341 applications denied by COMELEC.