Comelec to push for online voting for overseas Pinoys --- By HANA BORDEY, GMA Integrated News

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will push through with online voting for the 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE) despite concerns over its legal basis. This was highlighted by Comelec Chairman George Garcia as he led the information campaign for overseas registration and the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Rotary International District 3810, and the Associated Marine Officers And Seamen's Union of the Philippines. In a press conference after the event, Garcia said the Comelec en banc had released a resolution on online voting, arguing that under the current laws, the commission did "not prohibit" other modes of voting. "Ang sinabi ng batas ito yung dalawang modes muna ngayon-- in person at tsaka by mail-- pero ang nakalagay sa provision... ang Comelec ay pupwedeng mag-venture sa ibang modes of voting basta magre-report ka lang sa Kongreso," Garcia said. "So whatever the Comelec will be doing, we will be reporting to Congress on the update on the process nitong pangatlong mode ng voting," he added. (The law says that the current modes are in-person voting and by mail. But there is a provision that states that Comelec is allowed to venture into other modes of voting as long as this is reported to Congress. So whatever the Comelec will be doing, we will be reporting to Congress on the update on the process of this third mode of voting.) In a hearing at the Senate last week, Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III told the Comelec that a law should be passed before it can implement internet voting for Filipinos abroad. Garcia earlier said that there would be online voting in 75 countries for the midterm polls in 2025, but voters should re-register. The Comelec Chairman also said that 17 countries did not allow internet voting, including Russia, China, and Israel. In these places, Filipinos can go to embassies to cast their votes. Garcia also hoped that their support for internet voting would not be questioned before the Supreme Court. "Sana walang mag-question sa Korte Suprema, sana walang humarang sa atin sapagkat napakganda po talaga ng internet voting lalong-lalo na po sa mga marino more than anybody else," he said. Garcia said around 200,000 to 300,000 Filipino seafarers might be deprived of their right to vote without internet voting. "Are we going to deprive them simply because 'yung dalawang modes na meron tayo ay hindi papayagan 'yung kanilang pagboto dahil sila ay naglalayag? Sa ating palagay, that is not a justifiable rason. Sa ating palagay, nasa Comelec ang kakayanan at the same time, ang kapangyarihan sa ating Saligang Batas na maghanap ng pamamaraan just to ensure that nobody is disenfranchised," he said. (Are we going to deprive them simply because the two modes of voting that we have do not allow those who are overseas to vote? In our mind, that is not a justifiable reason. We think that Comelec has the capability and the power under the constitution to find a way to ensure that nobody is disenfranchised.) — DVM, GMA Integrated News

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