MANILA, Philippines — With or without a new law, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) intends to adopt internet voting in the May 2025 overseas polls.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia yesterday said the commission fully supports the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms’ approval of the Overseas Voting Act of 2023, allowing the use of the internet voting system for Filipinos abroad.
“We supported this piece of legislation that will hopefully ensure greater participation of our compatriots abroad,” Garcia disclosed.
Garcia, however, said the Comelec will not wait for the passage of a new law explicitly authorizing the implementation of internet voting before preparing for its adoption, as long as the budget will be provided.
“We must ensure transparency and reliability with particular focus on credibility and secrecy of the ballots in the system that we are using,” he explained.
Meanwhile, 198 members of the House of Representatives approved on final reading yesterday a bill declaring every national election as a non-working holiday to incentivize voters and encourage them to exercise their right to vote.