68M cast their votes today

senators, 63 party-list seats, and 254 district representatives. At the local level, Filipinos will vote for 82 governors, 82 vice governors, 800 provincial board members, 149 city mayors and vice mayors, 1,690 city councilors, 1,493 municipal mayors and vice mayors, and 11,948 members of the Sangguniang Bayan.

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This also marks a major shift in voting technology after the poll body parted ways with Smartmatic's Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) used in the previous elections since 2010. For the first time, the voting public will make use of the leased Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) from South Korea’s Miru Systems.

Not the machine

But Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that it's not about the machines, but what matters is the people's vote.

He previously called on Filipino voters to actively participate and cast their votes, stressing the importance of each citizen's vote in shaping the country's future.

He also underscored the power of the vote as a means to correct and improve society.

"It's not about the machines. It's about us. Our democracy. Our future. Our vote matters," he said.

Meanwhile, Garcia attributes the poll body's state of readiness to months of early planning, voter education, and a stronger push to combat election-related misinformation. Garcia stressed the importance of being proactive:

“Yun pong planning, napaka-importante na plan ahead. And therefore, may kaunting diperensya man, meron pang sufficient time makakagawa pa tayo ng paraan (Planning is very important — you need to plan ahead. And so, even if there are minor issues, there's still enough time for us to find a solution),” he said.

Reminders to candidates, voters

As polling centers nationwide prepare to open, the Comelec chief issued key reminders for candidates and their supporters. Candidates may vote, but should refrain from loitering near polling precincts after casting their ballots.