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POLICE authorities in Central Visayas are readying the list of personnel qualified to join the absentee voting from April 24 to 26.
Chief Supt. Lani-O Nerez, regional chief of the Police Regional Office 7 (PRO 7), said the absentee voting would enable them to exercise their right to vote prior to being assigned to their posts for the May 10 elections.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said those covered under absentee voting are government officials, the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
?Based on the guidelines of Comelec Resolution 8754, police commanders will be submitting the list of qualified personnel for absentee voting,? Nerez said.
He said they could only vote for national candidates like the President, Vice President and the senators.
Nerez said they would still draft the schedule and plans for the three-day absentee voting in Bohol, Cebu and Negros Oriental.
According to Regional Comelec director Ray Rene Buac, the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) for the military and police will consist of their respective commanders and an election officer.
?It depends on the commander where they will vote but they still have to coordinate with the Comelec for approval,? Buac said.
He said the votes of the soldiers and police would be counted on May 10.
When Buac was asked if media can avail of absentee voting he said it depends on the situation.
?In media you have the choice either to vote or not, to either cover or not cover the elections. We in the government, we cannot say no,? he said. /Correspondent Jucelle Marie P. Cuyos
