Voting began early Saturday, March 14, for the special election in Antipolo City’s 2nd Legislative District to fill the congressional seat left vacant after the death of former representative Romeo Acop in December 2025.
In a report by RH Edwin Duque, polling centers opened at 5 a.m. to accommodate priority voters, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and pregnant women, who were given exclusive access to the first two hours of voting.
Meanwhile, regular voting for the general public started at 7 a.m. and will continue until 3 p.m.
The special election is being conducted to ensure the district maintains representation in the House of Representatives.
A total of six candidates are seeking to fill the vacant seat, including Philip “Dok Bong” Acop, the son of the late lawmaker.
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) reported that 252,793 registered voters from eight barangays are eligible to vote in the district, including 234 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who will cast their ballots at the Antipolo City Jail until 12 noon.
Voting is being held in 37 polling centers across the district, including San Jose National High School in Barangay San Jose and San Roque National High School, where priority polling started early Saturday morning.
COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body is aiming for a voter turnout of around 64 percent.
Garcia also allowed some workers who arrived early at polling places to vote ahead of regular hours, even if they were not part of the vulnerable sectors.
According to Garcia, the move could be considered as a policy in future elections to make voting more accessible to workers with early shifts.
“May gusto na bumoto nang maaga, pero hindi sila miyembro ng vulnerable sector; sila ay manggagawa kasi sila ay papasok sa trabaho. Sinabihan natin ang mga guro na sila ay payagan na makaboto,” Garcia said.
“Ano pa ang dahilan kung bakit tayo nagbbubukas ng maaga kung–wala naman laman ang presinto, wala namang bumoboto bakit hindi mo naman pabobotohin. Sa mga susunod na eleksyon natin ganyan ang magiging natin kahit na hindi sila miyembro ng vulnerable sector pero gustong bumoto [ng maaga] payagan na lang,” he noted.
Unlike previous synchronized national and local elections, which used automated voting machines, the special election in Antipolo’s 2nd District is being conducted manually.
To encourage voter participation, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. declared March 14 a special non-working holiday in all barangays of the district.
The special polls are being held in accordance with the law to ensure that residents of the district continue to have representation in Congress following Acop’s passing.
