There were 1,753 policemen from Negros Occidental Provincial Police (Nocppo) and Bacolod City Police Offices (BCPO), Regional Mobile Force Battalion-Western Visayas and Maritime Police, among others, registered as absentee voters.
Lieutenant Abegael Donasco, spokesperson of Nocppo, said the absentee voting will last until April 29 at their headquarters at the Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. in Barangay Estefania, Bacolod City.
The policemen form part of about 2,000 absentee voters registered in the province.
Others are members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection and personnel of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Provincial Election Supervisor lawyer Roberto Salazar said.
He said these absentee voters will render or perform election duties and be assigned to other places.
“So they are allowed to vote ahead of May 9 under the law like the members of the PNP (Philippine National Police), AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), and even media personnel who will be assigned in far places,” Salazar said.
The voting is done inside military camps and they can only vote for national positions from president, vice president, senators down to party-lists.
They are not allowed to vote for local candidates, the official said.