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Rhodina Villanueva - The Philippine Star
May 13, 2025 | 12:00am
Individuals cast their votes for the 2025 midterm elections on May 12, 2025 at Cipriano P. Sta. Teresa Elementary School in Taguig.
STAR / Jesse Bustos
MANILA, Philippines — More than 51,000 voters participated in this year’s Local Absentee Voting (LAV) for the national and local elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported yesterday.
Director Allen Francis Abaya, head of the Committee on Local Absentee Voting, said the total number of actual LAV voters was 51,941.
“The Comelec has approved about 57,000, while our actual voter count is (more than) 51,000,” Abaya said.
“What happens right now is the feeding and counting of ballots of our local absentee voters. The Special Electoral Board Members will transmit results and our Special Board of Canvassers will wait for the special transmission from the automated counting machines,” he explained.
“From SBOC, the consolidated report of LAV will be transmitted to the National Board of Canvassers,” he added.
Abaya noted the number of LAV participants was higher during the 2022 presidential elections, with around 70,000 voters turning out from the 80,000 approved.
“Though counting is much more convenient now since it is the first time for the LAV to be automated. So far no major issues have been encountered, there were just instances of paper jamming but very minimal,” said Abaya.
Comelec approved a total of 57,689 voters for the 2025 LAV. These include 29,030 military personnel, 23,448 police officers, 4,206 government employees and 1,005 members of media.
Earlier, Comelec expressed hope to replicate the 88-percent turnout achieved during the 2022 presidential elections in this year’s midterm polls.
