OFWs urged to register for absentee voting

RIYADH: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has called on all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Kingdom and other countries to register for overseas absentee voting (OAV) next year.
The call was made in the run-up to the registration deadline on Oct. 31 for all OFWs so that they can participate in the national elections which includes the presidency.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) had earlier announced that around 1.3 million to 1.4 million Filipinos overseas have signed up as absentee voting for the May 2016 polls.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that more Filipinos abroad are expected to register because next year’s election involves the presidency.
“Hopefuly, since it’s a presidential election, more people will be interested and more will register,” he said.
Comelec is also hopeful that since the iRehistro Project is now available in all Philippine embassies abroad, it would encourage migrant Filipino workers to register.
Through the project, eligible voters would be able to access and fill out a voter registration form even before going to the embassy. The project was designed to speed up the registration process.
As of June this year, the Philippine Embassy in the Saudi capital had facilitated more than 50,000 applications for overseas absentee voting (OAV) and certifications in a one-year registration period.
“We thank all the Filipinos in the Kingdom for their enthusiasm in registering as overseas voters,” said Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago. The registration started on May 4 last year.
One reason for the renewed interest is the fact that registration has also been made possible when the embassy sends its Embassy on Wheels (EOW) to render various services to OFWs in far-flung areas of the Kingdom. Before, it could only be done at the embassy or consulate and few designated areas.