ILOILO City – A total of 559 police officers across Western Visayas have been approved to cast their votes early through the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) Local Absentee Voting (LAV) program ahead of the May 12 national and local elections.
Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis said the three-day LAV period for members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the region started on Monday, April 28, and will continue until today, April 30.
Most officers have already exercised their right to vote on the first day, Solis said.
Here’s the breakdown of approved LAV applicants by unit:
* Iloilo City Police Office – 130
* Aklan Provincial Police Office – 107
* Regional Headquarters (RHQ) – 86
* Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 (RMFB-6) – 61
* Guimaras Provincial Police Office – 54
* Iloilo Provincial Police Office – 51
* Capiz Provincial Police Office – 26
* Antique Provincial Police Office – 23
* National Support Units (NSUs) – 21
Under the LAV program, government officials and employees, including members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the PNP, and accredited media practitioners, are allowed to vote ahead of election day if their duties prevent them from doing so on May 12.
However, absentee voters can only vote for national positions — senators and party-list groups.
For the upcoming elections, Comelec has automated parts of the LAV process by deploying vote counting machines to select locations to ensure faster counting and heightened transparency. The commission has also broadened the program’s coverage to include more frontline government workers, such as health service providers.
In previous elections, absentee voting participation rates have been notably high, reaching 88 percent in the 2022 national elections.
PRO-6 emphasized that the early participation of police personnel helps reinforce electoral security while enabling officers to fulfill their civic duty without compromising their role in maintaining peace and order during the elections./PN
