13,321 Filipinos cast ballots in KSA

The Philippine Embassy yesterday said that the overseas absentee voting (OAV) process held from April 13 through last Monday concluded successfully in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar.
“A total of 13,321 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have cast their votes at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Alkhobar,” Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago said in a statement.
The envoy said that 6,851 voted in Riyadh, 2,723 in Jeddah and 3,747 in Alkhobar.
An automated election system (AES) was adopted both at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and at the consulate in Jeddah, while manual voting was done at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Alkhobar.
He added that the Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC), which will count the votes cast in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar, also convened at 1 p.m. on Monday as mandated by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
The envoy added that the three-member SBO (with one canvassing and consolidating system operator) will continue to collate the results of the votes from Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar. The SBOC chairman, Vice-Consul Maria Angelica Capili-Genotiva, will proceed immediately to Manila to present the certificate of canvas (COC), statement of votes (SOV), election returns and other election documents, to the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) in Manila as soon as process in Riyadh is concluded.
Tago lauded the smooth conduct of OAV elections in the Kingdom and encouraged more Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to exercise their right to vote during the elections of 2016.
He also praised the men and women at the embassy, Consulate General in Jeddah and in Alkhobar for their efforts during the OAV registration.