Manila, April 17 -- Government agencies and offices that have requested to participate in the local absentee voting (LAV) have started receiving the official ballots for the May 12 polls.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said Thursday that the deployment of the official ballots for the LAV started on Wednesday.

He said personnel who will deliver the ballots will explain to the official or personnel of the requesting agency or office the procedure of the voting.

"Those who will deliver will conduct a briefer on the procedures, which are to be observed by the heads of requesting agencies on how to conduct voting and also on how voters should vote," the poll body chief said in a Viber message.

"They will ...