4,000 police officers to join absentee voting on Wednesday

April 29, 2019

Around 4,000 police officers will cast their vote for the May midterm election during the local absentee voting on Wednesday, according to Philippine National Police ( PNP) General Oscar Albayalde.

In a press conference, Albayalde said the Comelec Resolution 10443 allows local absentee voting to certain voters for the May 13 midterm elections starting April 29 until May 1.

“A total of 4,981 PNP personnel stationed in different regions nationwide have signified intention to participate in the local absentee voting, including 163 personnel who will cast their absentee votes in Camp Crame tomorrow, April 30,” he said.

“We encourage all 190,000 PNP personnel to exercise their right and perform their duty to elect our country’s leaders,” he added.

Albayalde said personnel are prohibited from engaging in any form of partisan political activity as the only political exercise they are allowed to perform is to cast their votes.

Albayalde said some are not absentee voters and they are allowed to vote in their polling precincts.

“Most of them are stationed in places where they live (and) also where they are registered voters so they can vote early,” he said.

He added police officers who will vote on the Election Day are allowed to wear their uniform provided they will leave their firearms outside the voting centers.

“They can vote in uniform provided they have no firearm because that is not an election duty. The right to vote, its election duty but voting as a police officer is not an election duty. So if he will vote he should leave his firearms outside not unless authorized by the election board,” said Albayalde.

“If they were allowed to enter with the firearm and then he can vote it’s okay but without any explicit information especially those (who are) not in uniform,” he added.

Albayalde reminded the officers to only vote once and vote wisely.

Last Sunday, PNP said around 163 police officers from national headquarters will vote tomorrow.

Earlier, he said around 100,000 police officers will be deployed for election and a minimum of two will be assigned per polling centers. Albayalde said there will be quick reaction team from PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines on critical areas. Ella Dionisio/DMS