The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday said voting in the plebiscite covering five barangays in Parañaque City was proceeding smoothly, while preparations for the upcoming special congressional election in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, remain on track, with no areas currently classified as election hotspots.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said election officials inspected polling centers in Parañaque to ensure the orderly conduct of the plebiscite, from the delivery of election materials to the canvassing and proclamation of results.

The poll chief also checked on election personnel, including teachers serving on electoral boards, who reported to polling precincts as early as 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.

Garcia noted that senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and pregnant women were given priority through early voting from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.

Unlike national elections, Garcia said the Parañaque plebiscite is being conducted manually, with ballots written, counted, and canvassed by hand.

He clarified that the outcome will be decided by a plurality of votes rather than a majority.

"It is not necessary for more than half of the registered voters to participate or vote in favor of an option," Garcia explained. "Whichever choice — 'Yes' or 'No' — receives the higher number of votes will be proclaimed the winner."

Meanwhile, Garcia said five candidates have filed their certificates of candidacy for the special congressional election in Dasmariñas, which is being held to fill a vacant House seat.

He said the Comelec recently held a command conference with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other agencies and found no barangays that need to be placed under the election "area of concern" classification.

Garcia noted that Dasmariñas has nearly 497,387 registered voters, meaning the canvassing and proclamation of the winner may extend into the early hours of the following day.

The poll body expects around 6,000 electoral board members to serve in approximately 2,000 clustered precincts. Including poll watchers, about 10,000 people are expected to participate in the conduct of the election.

Garcia thanked the Dasmariñas City government for donating P50 million to help fund the special election.

He said the Comelec had estimated it would need P198 million to conduct the polls but had no dedicated budget for the exercise. To reduce costs, the commission reused election supplies from the 2025 elections, including indelible ink, deferred spending on other budget items, and allocated available savings to cover the remaining expenses.

Garcia also said recent security incidents in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were not related to the upcoming elections.

He cited a grenade attack that authorities said was an act of retaliation by an armed group after one of its leaders was neutralized, and not connected to the electoral process.

He also said the killing of a municipal councilor from North Cotabato, who was shot in Midsayap outside the Bangsamoro region, appeared to have been motivated by personal reasons rather than election-related violence.

Garcia added that the PNP has launched a hot pursuit operation against the suspects.

"So far, we have not recorded any election-related violent incidents in the entire Bangsamoro region," Garcia said.