OFW in New Zealand apologizes to envoy over inaccurate info on OAV


By LUCKY MAE F. QUILAO
After Philippine envoy’s reaction to a report concerning OFWs in New Zealand, a manager at a signage solutions company and program anchor at a community station in Christchurch has apologized for giving inaccurate information about overseas absentee voting (OAV).
Filipino ambassador Jesus “Gary” Domingo had belied the claim by Alfie Alojado Jr., 52, that Pinoy voters in New Zealand have to appear personally in the Philippine Embassy in Wellington.
“The article's contention is incorrect: Filipinos in NZ do not need to personally appear at the Philippine Embassy in Wellington to cast their vote - voting is done by Post and/or Mail. Also, registration for voting had been conducted by the Embassy's mobile consular services all over NZ from December 2016 until September 2018,” he has posted on Facebook on February 11.
“This also applies to registered Filipino voters in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga - as they are under our jurisdiction.  We are also awaiting word from Comelec if NZ will be allowed to have in-person voting at the Embassy,” Ambassador Domingo added in the post. 
Domingo was reacting to a GMA News Online article where Alojado claimed that he failed to vote during the 2013 elections because the only Philippine Embassy in New Zealand is located in Wellington—over 13-hour drive from where he was. He was just able to do so during the 2016 elections but only because he has taken a 55-minute plane trip.
“I am very sorry for that wrong info and I apologize for it,” Alojado said in an online interview with GMA News Online.
“It was just an ageing mistake,” he admitted. “I recall now that the reason I had to fly to Wellington during the 2016 elections was because my vote would not have been counted if I will still mail my ballot.”
About 9,400 Filipino voters in New Zealand registered during the 2016 Philippine presidential election and only 2,920 voted.
“For the 2019 elections, we have 21,336 registered voters, there are about 50,000 to 60,000 Filipinos in NZ.  Many of them are NZ Citizens who have not yet regained their PHL Citizenship,” Ambassador Domingo disclosed.
“The process of voting in NZ for Filipinos is by mail. Certainly that is more convenient than by polling station?  And all our info is on our website and we always implore the FilCom to register and vote.  We have voting registration during our mobile passporting missions which we have monthly in various parts of NZ and the Pacific Island States.”
More information 
Still, the other OFWs in the same report would rather have an online process and an “intensive campaign” so that more OFWs would register and vote in the overseas absentee voting (OAV) polls.
“Kapag may mobile consular services, sinasabay din ang OAV registration. Kaso, not everyone would go to a mobile consular service kasi ang iba hindi pa kailangan mag-renew ng passport, so some wouldn’t know na pwede pala mag-register ng OAV. Kung merong online option and intensive ang campaign to register, then everyone can just go online and register for OAV,” Michael John Quina, 35, a carpenter in Christchurch, clarified in an online correspondence on February 12.
In other cases, OFWs in New Zealand were not able to get their ballot mail due to change in residence.
“Kung may online option, it would have been easier to update your details online. Dito sa NZ, puwede mag-register online to vote sa elections although yung actual voting is done sa mga physical precincts and meron silang early voting option din,” he added.
Quina also recounted his experience in December 2014 during a mobile consular mission.
“That was when I knew I can register for OAV. So kung hindi ako nag-renew ng passport, hindi ko malalaman na may absentee voting pala.”
“Kailangan talaga i-improve [yung campaign to register]. Kailangan talaga i-inspire ang mga OFWs to register and vote.”
Earl Magtibay, 35, dairy farm manager in Rakaia, has the same reason why he proposed for an online registration.
“I suggested for the OAV system to have an online registration if possible so we wouldn't just have to wait for the embassy to hold a mobile consular service in the area,” he reiterated via Messenger in February 12.
Alojado Jr. earlier suggested the setting up of satellite voting centers in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. —LBG, GMA News

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