COTABATO PROVINCE (May 1) — A total of 1,033 police officers and soldiers in Cotabato Province were authorized by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to cast their votes early through Local Absentee Voting (LAV) for the May 2025 elections.
This is in line with COMELEC Resolution No. 11091, which allows non-registered voters in their current assignment areas—where they will be serving election duties on May 12—to vote in advance.
Aside from police and military personnel, LAV also covers other sectors such as media and government employees who will be working on election day.
According to Atty. Myla Luna, Election Supervisor for Cotabato Province, LAV voters can only vote for up to 12 senatorial candidates and a party-list representative. They are not allowed to vote for local candidates.
“Most of those availing of LAV are from the Cotabato Police Provincial Office, our partners from the AFP including the 602nd Infantry Brigade, battalions under the 1002nd Infantry Brigade, and the 48th Infantry Brigade,” said Atty. Luna.
Voting was conducted in their respective offices, monitored by COMELEC personnel from North Cotabato. Local absentee ballots, envelopes, seals, and other election materials were distributed accordingly.
After voting, ballots are sealed and will be counted along with other votes on election day using automated counting machines.
Local absentee voting ended yesterday, April 30, 2025.
Nationwide, around 12,800 police personnel participated in the LAV process.
