TACLOBAN CITY – With the May 12, 2025 national and local elections just nine days away, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), this city, has assured the public of its preparedness to conduct a smooth, orderly, and credible vote.
Speaking during the “Harampang: Media Conference” organized by the Tacloban City Information Office on April 28, City Election Officer lawyer Ramon Dadulla Jr. detailed the agency’s ongoing preparations, including briefings, logistics, and technical support efforts.
“All electoral board members and support personnel have completed refresher trainings. We are now preparing for the final testing and sealing of the automated counting machines (ACMs) on May 6, alongside the distribution of election supplies,” he said.
More than 1,000 poll workers across Tacloban have been deployed and briefed. A separate orientation is planned for electoral board members overseeing the special voting for Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) at the Tacloban City Jail.
Meanwhile, the local absentee voting (LAV), which allows qualified government personnel to vote ahead of schedule, was successfully conducted on April 28 in coordination with agencies such as the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
“Under the law, LAV can be conducted anytime from April 28 to 30,” Dadulla explained, noting that agencies can choose their preferred voting date within the allowed period.
Ballots cast under LAV will be transmitted to the Comelec central office, where they will be batch-fed and scanned together with regular ballots on Election Day.
(NAPOLEON JASPER BALTAR, LNU STUDENT INTERN)
