
TACLOBAN CITY – Nearly 1,300 soldiers under the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division have exercised their right to vote ahead of the May 12 elections through the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) local absentee voting (LAV) program.
From April 28 to 30, a total of 1,290 military personnel cast their ballots across 19 units within the 8ID’s area of operations in Eastern Visayas.
The LAV covers both soldiers who are registered elsewhere but deployed in Region 8, and local troops who will be assigned to other areas for election duties.
“The LAV ensures that government workers, especially those like our soldiers who will be on active duty during election day, can still participate in the democratic process,” said Catbalogan City Election Assistant Catherine Morales, citing the program’s legal basis under Executive Order No. 157 (1997) and Republic Act No. 7166 (1991).
The 8th ID camp is located in Catbalogan City.
Under the LAV system, voters are only allowed to vote for national positions—senators and party-list groups—and are barred from voting in their regular precincts on Election Day.
Major General Adonis Ariel Orio, the commanding general of the division, underscored the importance of soldiers taking part in nation-building not just through service, but through the ballot.
“Our votes are our voices. This is how we help shape a future worthy of the sacrifices we make each day,” Orio said.
Comelec confirmed that all accomplished ballots will be sealed and submitted to the LAV Division, where they will be fed into automated counting machines for official tallying.
Orio added that the 8ID will remain focused on securing peaceful and orderly elections across Eastern Visayas.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)