Camille Naredo

Senior citizens arrive at the New Capitol Estates-1 basketball court, one of the polling precincts in Barangay Batasan Hills, to cast their votes during the early voting period of the 2025 midterm elections on May 12, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File

Senior citizens arrive at the New Capitol Estates-1 basketball court, one of the polling precincts in Barangay Batasan Hills, to cast their votes during the early voting period of the 2025 midterm elections on May 12, 2025.

Article (news)

HALALAN 2025-COC FILING

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175672222466220250511-halalan-batasan-hills-senior-citizen-MD5.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Senior citizens arrive at the New Capitol Estates-1 basketball court, one of the polling precincts in Barangay Batasan Hills, to cast their votes during the early voting period of the 2025 midterm elections on May 12, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File"/>Senior citizens arrive at the New Capitol Estates-1 basketball court, one of the polling precincts in Barangay Batasan Hills, to cast their votes during the early voting period of the 2025 midterm elections on May 12, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File</div>MANILA — The Commission on Elections seeks earlier voting period for senior citizens and persons with disability, noting that the 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. early voting hours allotted for them on election day are not enough to accommodate them all.During Monday’s budget briefing before the House Committee on Appropriations, Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia proposed to amend the law on local absentee voting and expand its coverage to senior citizens and persons with disability.The Comelec has recorded 11 to 12 million senior voters and around 550,000 PWD voters. “May problema kami sa early voting hours... Kung sakaling 5-7 am lang mabibigyan window, pagdating ng 7am dadagsa na ‘yung mga botante. So ‘yung mga nakatatanda, maaaring ‘yung iba dyan, maunahan ng regular na botante. So nababalewala po ‘yung early voting hours. Samantalang kung pabobotohin natin ‘yung nakatatanda, may kapansanan nang isang linggo bago mag-eleksyon,” Garcia said.“Bakit po ‘yung mga OFWs pinaboboto natin ng maaga, bakit ang media, military, PNP, diba? Kung pabobotohin natin nang maaga ang nakatatanda, may kapansanan, sa araw ng eleksyon, naghihintay na lang sila ng results,” he added.The Local Absentee Voting currently covers members of the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the media.Garcia said the LAV may also cover indigenous peoples, with 840,000 voters, and the around 70,000 persons deprived of liberty. &quot;Kung sakaling early voting tayo, hindi lang early voting hours, sila ang boboto nang mas maaga, therefore, masisigurado natin na tataas ang bilang ng botante ng Pilipinas na boboto,&quot; he said.FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party List Representative Brian Poe expressed support for the proposal.“Kung hindi natin kaya ibalik o itaas ang allowance para sa teachers, syempre ‘yung working hours din ang importante. We’re trying to advocate for an earlier voting period para sa mga PWDs, citizens, medical frontliners and pregnant women, so that we don’t have to start as early anymore para sa mga teachers natin,” he said.<div> </div><div>BARMM POLLS</div>Meanwhile, the Comelec is targeting to complete the printing of ballots for BARMM’s first parliamentary polls on September 15.Garcia said the poll body has ruled that the October 13 elections will proceed as scheduled despite the absence of a legislation reallocating the seven Bangsamoro Parliament seats formerly assigned to Sulu.“Hanggang last week naghihintay ang Comelec. We really cannot wait for that long dahil ang elections sa Bangsamoro ay automated din…We decided to proceed with the election of the 73,” the Comelec chair said.

The Commission on Elections seeks earlier voting period for senior citizens and persons with disability, noting that the 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. early voting hours allotted for them on election day are not enough to accommodate them all.

The Commission on Elections seeks earlier voting period for senior citizens and persons with disability, noting that the 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. early voting hours allotted for them on election day are not enough to accommodate them all.

Comelec seeks earlier voting period for seniors, PWDs

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Comelec seeks earlier voting period for seniors, PWDs

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 01, 2025 06:24 PM PHT

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House of Representatives

Comelec

Commission on Elections

early voting

senior citizens

PWDs

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