Comelec OKs Absentee Voting For Journalists

source: mb.com.ph

MANILA, Philippines --- Members of the media may now cast their votes ahead of the election day in May.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced Thursday that it approved a petition, which allowed mediamen to participate in the local absentee voting (LAV) prior to the election day.

“We just filed the resolution on local absentee voting, including the members of the press,” said Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.

In a 14-page resolution, media practitioners and their technical staff are included in LAV for government officials and employees, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police.
“Local absentee voters shall vote any day from April 28, 29, and 30,” the resolution read.

“In case of media voters, voting shall be at the Comelec office where they filed their applications to avail themselves of the LAV,” it added.

Comelec Resolution No. 9637 was promulgated last Feb. 13 and was signed by Brillantes and Comelec Commissioners Lucenito Tagle, Elias Yusoph, Christian Robert Lim, and Grace Padaca.

Under the resolution, military and police personnel who will avail themselves of the LAV must file their application forms to their department heads not later than March 15.

For members of the media, they need to submit it on or before March 31 to the offices of the provincial election supervisor, regional election director in Metro Manila, and city election officer in highly urbanized areas or independent cities.

The Committee on LAV will then verify the eligibility of the local absentee voters.

Apart from their application forms, Brillantes said media organizations will be requested to submit for accreditation a list of their personnel who will be assigned to various places on election day.

The petition for absentee voting was filed last year by lawyer Romulo Macalintal as mediamen always failed to vote every election because of the nature of their work.

source: mb.com.ph