Comelec reminds absentee voters of March 7 registration deadline

FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reminded those qualified to avail of absentee voting that they could only file their forms until Friday, March 7, the deadline of absentee voter registration.

The Comelec reminded “all government officials and employees including Members of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines, and members of the media and media practitioners including their technical and support staff who are temporarily assigned to perform election duties or cover/report on the conduct of elections” to submit their local absentee voting (LAV) form not later than the deadline.

READ: Comelec: Absentee voters listup deadline set March 7

Local absentee voting periods will be held on April 28, 29 and 30, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Absentee voters can only vote for senators and party-list groups.

Those who opted to vote through LAV shall no longer be allowed to vote in their regular precincts on election day.

The LAV for government employees was first introduced through Executive Order No. 157 in 1987 and Republic Act No. 7166, or the 1991 Synchronized Election Law, while media personnel were allowed to do so through Republic Act 10380 enacted in 2013.