The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has approved a total of 57,689 applicants for Local Absentee Voting (LAV) for the May 2025 National and Local Elections.

According to data from the Committee on Local Absentee Voting, the approved LAV applicants include members of the media, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and various government agencies.
The AFP topped the list with 29,030 approved voters, comprising 26,626 males and 2,404 females. Of these, 26,024 are from the Philippine Army, 2,908 from the Philippine Air Force, and 98 from the Philippine Navy.
The PNP followed closely with 23,448 approved voters, composed of 18,072 males and 5,376 females.
Meanwhile, 1,005 members of the media have been approved for LAV, with 524 male and 481 female voters.
Media personnel in the National Capital Region (NCR) will vote at the Office of the Regional Election Director (ORED) in NCR. Media voters in highly urbanized cities outside NCR will vote at their respective Provincial Election Supervisor (PES) offices, while those in other areas will cast their votes at their local Offices of the Election Officer (OEOs).
Among other government agencies, the Department of Education (DepEd) had the highest number of approved voters at 1,290. It was followed by COMELEC personnel themselves with 922 voters, and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) with 707.
Voting for LAV participants will take place from April 28 to 30, 2025, and will be conducted within the premises of their respective offices.
Comelec emphasized that the LAV mechanism ensures that essential service workers—including security forces, government employees, and accredited media—can exercise their right to vote despite being on duty during election day.