MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Wednesday it is seeing a positive outcome in the voter turnout for the local absentee voting.

Comelec chief George Erwin Garcia previously said that around 50,000 voters registered for the local absentee voting and that they are seeing a high turnout for the midterm elections.

"Base sa mga paunang balita, maganda ang turnout natin sa ating local absentee voting... 'Yang 50,000 na 'yan may make or break 'yung partylist groups natin. Siguro maaring sa senador, 'yung nasa dulo, maaaring it matters. Pero lalong lalo na 'yung nasa partylist kasi alam naman natin kung gaano lagi ka-dikit ang labanan ng mga partylist," Comelec spokesperson Atty. John Rex Laudiangco said in an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo's Johnson Ikwento Mo.

Meanwhile, Laudiangco reminded overseas Filipino workers to register for the local absentee voting to exercise their right to vote even though they are not present in the country.

The spokesperson also said more than 100,000 OFWs have registered for the local absentee voting.

He also reminded the OFWs to refrain from taking too long to register or vote since internet voting for the OFWs would end at 7 p.m. on May 12, 2025 Philippine Standard Time.

"Magtatapos ang internet voting sa buong mundo ng 7 p.m. ng May 12 PST. So pag nag alas-7 ng gabi sa Pilipinas, kahit hindi pa gano'n ang oras sa bansa na kinalalagyan ng OFW, ay matitigil automatically ang voting," Laudiangco said.

He added that regardless of when an individual voted, all of it will only be counted starting on May 12, 2025.

Laudiangco also said that around five minutes after counting begins, results would start to show.