Philippine Elections 2025: Malacañang declares May 12 as a national holiday

Malacañang on Tuesday declared, May 12, the day of mid-term elections, as a special non-working holiday throughout the country.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, on the authority of Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., signed Proclamation 878 on Tuesday declaring a nationwide holiday to " enable the people to properly exercise their right to vote."

The announcement follows a request from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare the date a holiday to encourage more Filipinos to vote.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia stated, "Comelec has requested the honorable President to declare May 12 a holiday."

Declaring election day a holiday would allow people to vote without worrying about missing work, he added.

While election days in the past have typically been declared special non-working holidays, Garcia emphasized that a formal proclamation from the President is still required.

“That’s how it’s been done before, but it still needs an official declaration from the President,” he added.

About 68 million Filipinos are expected to cast their votes in the midterm elections, where more than 18,000 positions are at stake.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported that overseas voting for Filipinos commenced on Sunday, April 13. Approximately 1.321 million overseas Filipinos are eligible to participate in this year's midterm elections.

Filipinos residing abroad are urged by the Comelec to register for internet voting by the extended deadline of May 10, 2025, at 11:59 PM (Philippine time). This new date is three days beyond the original May 7 cutoff.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to enroll and vote online for FIlipino overseas voters.

Filipino voters will choose senators, House district and party-list representatives, and local officials including governors, vice governors, mayors, vice mayors, and local council members.