00:00Meanwhile, the last three national elections have been a resounding success
00:04thanks to increased electoral participation which the poll body seeks to ramp up
00:08by way of inclusion of more sectors into local absentee voting.
00:12But such move entails an amendments to existing elections law
00:15by way of an act of Congress, as Zarmela Las Moras reports.
00:21To further increase voter turnout in the country,
00:24the Commission on Elections emphasized that it is now time
00:27to expand the sectors covered by local absentee voting.
00:31Currently, only members of the PNP, AFP, and the media are included
00:35who are allowed to vote earlier several weeks before the actual election day.
00:40For voters outside the country,
00:42there is also a similar system in place for overseas Filipino workers.
00:46According to Comelec Chairman George Irwin Garcia,
00:49senior citizens and persons with disabilities
00:52should also be allowed to vote under this system.
00:55Likewise, frontliners such as health workers and other essential workers
00:59should be included.
01:01However, a new law is needed for this to happen.
01:03Yung mga nakatatanda, maaaring yung iba dyan ay maunahan
01:08noong mga regular na votante, so nalibabaliwala rin po yung early voting hours.
01:14Samantalang kung pabobotohin natin yung nakatatanda,
01:17may kapansanan, ng isang linggo bago mag-eleksyon,
01:21bakit po ang ating mga overseas Filipinos pinapaboto natin na maaga?
01:24Bakit po yung ating mga media pinapaboto natin na maaga?
01:28Military, PNP, pinapaboto natin na maaga?
01:31Kung pabobotohin natin na maaga ang nakatatanda,
01:34may kapansanan, sa araw ng eleksyon,
01:36naghihintay na lang po sila ng results.
01:38Garcia said this when he appeared before the House Committee on Appropriations
01:42for the deliberations of their proposed budget for the coming year.
01:46Under the 2026 National Expenditure Program,
01:49the proposed budget for the Comelec is more than 11.8 billion pesos.
01:53But the agency insists this is not enough
01:56and additional funding is needed for the 2026 Barangay
02:00and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
02:02Pag po may honoraryo yung teachers na dagdag,
02:05abutin po ng mga 9 billion pesos, Madam Chair.
02:09Yung po yung ia-add sa ating naka-continuing appropriation.
02:13For now, the Comelec is also preparing
02:15for the first parliamentary elections
02:17in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region
02:19in Muslim Minanau or BARM,
02:21which will be held on October 13.
02:24We printed up to yesterday
02:25three provinces already,
02:27the provinces of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi,
02:30and the SGA,
02:31the eight municipalities of the Special Geographic Area.
02:34So ngayon po,
02:35we started already with the printing
02:37of the Maguindanao South
02:38and Maguindanao North.
02:40We're hoping to be able to finish
02:42all the printing of the ballots,
02:44the 2.3 million ballots
02:47of the Bangsamoro
02:48until completed kasamang verification
02:51September 15, Madam Chair.
02:53Aside from the Comelec,
02:55officials from the Department of Human Settlements
02:57and Urban Development
02:58also appeared before the House
03:00led by Secretary Jose Ramon Alilin
03:02who discussed at length
03:03issues related to government housing programs.
03:07Melilas Moras from the National TV Network
03:09for a New and Better Philippines.
