New OAV registrants surpasses 50,000 mark - DFA

MANILA, Philippines — The number of new overseas absentee voter (OAV) registrants has topped the 50,000 mark and the government is aiming for one million, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said late Tuesday.

DFA Undersecretary and Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat (OAVS) chairman Rafael Seguis said the number of new OAV registrants now stands at 50,122.

“The performance of all Posts is being constantly monitored by the OAVS. While the Posts’ Officers and Staff, especially the OAV Focal Persons, have an important role to play in the on-going exercise, the Chiefs of Mission/ Ambassadors/ Heads of Posts bear a higher responsibility," he said in an article on the DFA website (www.dfa.gov.ph).

He said he expects the number of OAVs to increase tremendously as the campaign for promotion of OAV activities in all Philippine Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) intensifies.

OAV registration will end on August 31.

“To date, the OAVS has issued a series of instructions to all FSPs to strengthen their strategies in order to garner one million OAV registrants for the 2010 national elections," he said.

He said the instructions include:

• Encouraging posts to register their personnel;

• Directing posts to campaign for, or promote, the OAV registration through regular press releases in the mainstream and Fililipino community media; including attendance by all posts’ officers and staff of community events.

• Instructing posts to activate and/or organize the One Country Team Approach (OCTA) to OAV registration. The Posts and Attaches from other government or semi-government agencies, under the leadership of the Chiefs of Mission/Ambassadors/Heads of Posts, shall collaborate and cooperate with one another to achieve the one million OAV voters for the 2010 national elections.

• Encouraging posts were encouraged to tie-up with Globe, Smart, etc. to inform the OAVoters of the on-going registration; and

• Instructing posts with seaports to replicate Brussels PE’s implementation of “Akyat Barko" where it coordinates with ship owners/principals, ship representatives, manning agencies, and authorities of the Host Government to urge/encourage Filipino seafarers to register for the upcoming National Elections.

So far, Seguis said the 50,122 figure was based on tallies from Philippine embassies, missions, consulates and offices abroad as of April 20.

He said the new OAV registrants for the different regions worldwide include 13,136 in Asia and the Pacific; 12,342 in the Americas; 7,298 in Europe; and 5,756 in Middle East and Africa.

"The top ten Posts, in terms of the number of new OAV registrants are:
Hong Kong (4,917), Los Angeles (3,950), London (2,460), Toronto (2,322), Singapore (2,232), Dubai (1,856), New York (1,743), Washington DC (1,541), Brunei (1,365), and Chicago (1,182)," the DFA said.

By country, the following are the top ten: USA, China, Canada, UK, Singapore, UAE, Italy, Taiwan, Japan, and Brunei.

Some 11,590 new OAVs have so far registered at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) OAV registration centers. - GMANews.TV

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