The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has declared the conduct of the 2025 national and local elections in Central Luzon as “very peaceful and very orderly,” citing no major incidents and only minor technical issues throughout the region.

“We are pleased to report that the conduct of elections in Central Luzon has been very peaceful and very orderly,” said Comelec Assistant Regional Election Director Elmo Duque. “We thank all the voters for their patience, discipline, and for coming out to vote and exercise their right to suffrage.”

Duque noted that Electoral Boards and Department of Education supervising officials remained in polling centers after voting hours to complete post-election procedures such as printing and posting election returns (ERs), generating audit logs, backing up data, and reviewing ballots before shutting down vote-counting machines.

While there were reports of technical glitches, Comelec said these were minimal. Out of 9,584 automated counting machines (ACMs) deployed in the region, only 49—or 0.445 percent—were reported defective. The breakdown of faulty machines included: Pampanga – 18; Bulacan – 13; Tarlac – 12; Zambales – 3; Bataan – 2; and Aurora – 1.

Contingency machines were promptly dispatched to affected areas to avoid extended delays. In Kaingin, Meycauayan (Bulacan), for instance, ballots were placed in a secure container while waiting for a replacement, and voting resumed shortly after.

“There were no major disruptions. A minor commotion in a barangay in Magalang, Pampanga was reported, but it occurred outside the polling place and did not affect the election process,” Duque clarified.

He added that improvements in logistics and the faster printing of election returns helped facilitate early proclamations in some areas, with results finalized as early as 10:00 PM.

Comelec also credited the smooth conduct of the polls to the support of security forces. “On behalf of our Regional Election Director Temie Lambino, we thank the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency for ensuring peace and order during the elections,” Duque said.

He likewise expressed appreciation to all personnel and agencies involved in the election process, including the Bureau of Treasury, Department of Education, and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

Finally, Duque appealed for unity and respect for the results. “We thank our candidates for contributing to peaceful and credible elections. We hope everyone accepts the will of the people. Whoever wins, let’s move forward together for the good of our nation and local communities,” he said. (PIA 3 | Marie Joy S. Carbungco)

𝐶𝑂𝑀𝐸𝐿𝐸𝐶 𝐶𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝐿𝑢𝑧𝑜𝑛 𝐴𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐸𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐸𝑙𝑚𝑜 𝐷𝑢𝑞𝑢𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 2025 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑠 “𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑦,” 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠. (Screengrab from CLTV36)