Special Election Kicks Off in Antipolo’s 2nd District; Thousands Queue Early to Vote

ANTIPOLO, Rizal — Early voting for the special election in Antipolo City’s 2nd congressional district began on Saturday morning, with thousands of voters lining up to choose a successor for the late Representative Romeo Acop, who passed away in December.

Polling opened at 5 a.m. exclusively for senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), pregnant women, and their companions at San Jose National High School, the district’s largest polling center with 28,000 registered voters. Other schools across the district also accommodated early voters until 7 a.m., with regular voting running from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia personally inaugurated the polls and is expected to visit several other schools and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology for PDL (Persons Deprived of Liberty) voting.

The manual election allows voters to write only the name of their chosen candidate on the ballot. Six candidates are vying for the seat in one of the country’s largest legislative districts, which has 242,793 registered voters across eight barangays.

Election returns will be transported to the city hall, serving as the operations center and canvassing venue. Officials expect the manual counting process to be meticulous, with the winner potentially announced Sunday night.

To ensure a secure voting environment, at least 700 members of the national police and the military have been deployed across schools and the Ynares Event Center.

The special election follows heightened monitoring by the Commission on Elections to ensure that campaign remarks and activities by candidates remain fair and non-discriminatory.