Negros cops avail absentee voting

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

689 policemen in Negros Occidental availed the local absentee voting held at the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) headquarters in Bacolod City from April 29 to May 1.

Police Major Edison Garcia, public information officer of Nocppo, said “this is a way for them to still practice their right of suffrage despite being called for duty to secure the elections on May 13.”

Garcia said 746 policemen were registered as voters in this year’s elections but some of them were not able to cast their votes on the said dates.

The activity is covered by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution No. 10443.

The resolutions sets the system of voting whereby government officials and employees, including members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) who are duly registered voters, are allowed to vote for national positions in places where they are not registered voters but where they are temporarily assigned to perform election duties on election day.

Police Colonel Romeo Baleros, Nocppo director, said he requested from the Comelec to conduct such activity at the headquarters.

“We give importance to the voice of our personnel during election because it’s their right,” Baleros said.

He added that it was part of the objective of Nocppo to ensure that personnel deployed will be focused on their task of securing the elections.