High overseas Filipino voter turnout seen this year
by Maria Aleta Nieva Nishimori, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/24/2010 8:41 PM
Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | Share your views
3-day training for foreign service corps starts
MANILA, Philippines – A high voter turnout among the 600,000 Filipino registered voters overseas is expected in the May 10 elections.
Comelec-Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting (Comelec-COAV) Commissioner Armando Velasco said Filipinos abroad “have interest in the political affairs in our country.”
“They, too, have the right to choose their leaders,” Velasco said, adding the need for overseas absentee votes to be “counted, protected, and respected”.
Based on the latest records, the total number of Filipino overseas absentee voters for the 2010 elections is at 589,830. Of the total, 568,733 are land-based OFWs while 21,097 are sea-based.
The Middle East and Africas have the most number of registered voters with 225,148, followed by Asia Pacific at 215,546, North and South America with 66,745 and Europe at 61,294.
“We are all one in wishing that the voter turnout for this election be better than what we expect,” Velasco said.
In 2004 elections, the voter turnout was 64%. However, in the 2007 mid-term elections, the voter turnout was only 16%.
“It may not be 100% turnout this time, but I believe we have the 100% people to conduct the elections honestly and orderly. We believe that we cannot get that 100%, but it will be really our effort to have a 100% to do our task,” he said.
Ambassador Nestor Padalhin, Vice Chair of the Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat (OAVS), believes that this year’s turnout would surpass the participation in the 2007 elections.
“Ang dapat na point of comparison yung 2004. Hindi na siguro lalayo doon sa dati sa 64%. Baka over 50% o pwedeng lumampas. Mahirap ma-predict. Pero definitely, not 16%. I can personally assure,” he said.
Padalhin said that if all registered voters cast their votes, “it could spell a big difference either as a deciding vote or a swing vote” for a candidate.
One month to cast votes
Overseas absentee voters have a month to cast their votes starting April 10 to May 10, 2010.
“Voting will start on April 10, one month to give a chance to all our OFWs to really come and cast their votes,” he said.
“Despite everything that we are doing, promoting it, campaigning…the bottom line is still the voter. Kahit natanggap na niya yung balota, kung ayaw niya for his own reasons, hindi ifi-fill up yun. We are doing everything to campaign for it,” he said.
3-day training starts in Manila
More than 100 representatives from the Philippines' foreign service corps are now undergoing 3-day training in Manila, in preparation for the start of Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV).
Padalhin said participants in the “Training on the Conduct of Overseas Absentee Voting, Counting and Canvassing For Purposes of the 2010 Elections” at a hotel in Pasay City were all excited.
“Excited na excited sila to participate in the training kasi matagal na silang nag-prepare to be here,” Padalhin said.
Both the OAVS and Comelec-COAV are coordinating closely the conduct of the OAV.
Padalhin said the training is the first and biggest of its kind. Participants in the training will form the Electoral Boards in the Foreign Service Posts they represent. The boards are the Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG), the Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) and the Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC).
A maximum of 3 people will be deployed in each of the 3 electoral boards to serve as alternates in case of emergency. “Naka-deputize na sila,” he said.
According to Padalhin, representatives from the Comelec and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)-OAVS will also travel to Los Angeles, California and Madrid in Spain to conduct trainings on Postal Voting for Electoral Boards of Posts in the Americas and Europe on March 11-13, 2010.
Mode of voting
Trainings on Personal Voting will be held from March 18-20, 2010 in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh for the Electoral Boards of Posts in the Middle East and Africa and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Both government agencies expect over 200 Foreign Service personnel to attend the trainings in the 4 countries.
Padalhin explained that personal voting is similar to how one votes in the Philippines. “A-appear ka sa prisinto, bibigyan ka ng balota, fill-up mo, ikaw mismo maglagay,” he said.
As to postal voting, ballots are mailed from Manila to registered Filipino voters abroad.
“Mine-mail yun ballots from Manila. Mayroon tayong mailing center sa Post Office, doon lahat nagmumula yung mga ballots under the close watch of the representatives of political parties and it's open to the public. Ipapadala ng Comelec yung balota direct to the voter and the voter will have to fill up and return to the embassy,” he added.
Earlier this month, the DFA, Comelec and the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHILPOST) signed a memorandum of agreement on the implementation of the overseas postal voting in the 2010 elections.
“Nakapagpadala na. Tapos mayroon din mga posts, because of the peculiar circumstances sa kanilang mga jurisdiction, postal voting pero dumaan sa embassy. Dadaan muna ang ballots through our pouch, mayroon kaming diplomatic pouch na protected siya, tapos pagdating doon sa embassy, ang embassy ngayon ang magme-mail,” he explained.
On the other hand, poll automation will only be conducted in Hong Kong and Singapore because of the large concentration of Filipinos who registered. There are 31,851 registered voters in Singapore, while Hong Kong has a total of 93, 355 registered voters.
A separate training will be held a week before the start of the voting. He said consultations between the 2 posts are now ongoing.
Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | Share your views
3-day training for foreign service corps starts
MANILA, Philippines – A high voter turnout among the 600,000 Filipino registered voters overseas is expected in the May 10 elections.
Comelec-Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting (Comelec-COAV) Commissioner Armando Velasco said Filipinos abroad “have interest in the political affairs in our country.”
“They, too, have the right to choose their leaders,” Velasco said, adding the need for overseas absentee votes to be “counted, protected, and respected”.
Based on the latest records, the total number of Filipino overseas absentee voters for the 2010 elections is at 589,830. Of the total, 568,733 are land-based OFWs while 21,097 are sea-based.
The Middle East and Africas have the most number of registered voters with 225,148, followed by Asia Pacific at 215,546, North and South America with 66,745 and Europe at 61,294.
“We are all one in wishing that the voter turnout for this election be better than what we expect,” Velasco said.
In 2004 elections, the voter turnout was 64%. However, in the 2007 mid-term elections, the voter turnout was only 16%.
“It may not be 100% turnout this time, but I believe we have the 100% people to conduct the elections honestly and orderly. We believe that we cannot get that 100%, but it will be really our effort to have a 100% to do our task,” he said.
Ambassador Nestor Padalhin, Vice Chair of the Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat (OAVS), believes that this year’s turnout would surpass the participation in the 2007 elections.
“Ang dapat na point of comparison yung 2004. Hindi na siguro lalayo doon sa dati sa 64%. Baka over 50% o pwedeng lumampas. Mahirap ma-predict. Pero definitely, not 16%. I can personally assure,” he said.
Padalhin said that if all registered voters cast their votes, “it could spell a big difference either as a deciding vote or a swing vote” for a candidate.
One month to cast votes
Overseas absentee voters have a month to cast their votes starting April 10 to May 10, 2010.
“Voting will start on April 10, one month to give a chance to all our OFWs to really come and cast their votes,” he said.
“Despite everything that we are doing, promoting it, campaigning…the bottom line is still the voter. Kahit natanggap na niya yung balota, kung ayaw niya for his own reasons, hindi ifi-fill up yun. We are doing everything to campaign for it,” he said.
3-day training starts in Manila
More than 100 representatives from the Philippines' foreign service corps are now undergoing 3-day training in Manila, in preparation for the start of Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV).
Padalhin said participants in the “Training on the Conduct of Overseas Absentee Voting, Counting and Canvassing For Purposes of the 2010 Elections” at a hotel in Pasay City were all excited.
“Excited na excited sila to participate in the training kasi matagal na silang nag-prepare to be here,” Padalhin said.
Both the OAVS and Comelec-COAV are coordinating closely the conduct of the OAV.
Padalhin said the training is the first and biggest of its kind. Participants in the training will form the Electoral Boards in the Foreign Service Posts they represent. The boards are the Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG), the Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) and the Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC).
A maximum of 3 people will be deployed in each of the 3 electoral boards to serve as alternates in case of emergency. “Naka-deputize na sila,” he said.
According to Padalhin, representatives from the Comelec and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)-OAVS will also travel to Los Angeles, California and Madrid in Spain to conduct trainings on Postal Voting for Electoral Boards of Posts in the Americas and Europe on March 11-13, 2010.
Mode of voting
Trainings on Personal Voting will be held from March 18-20, 2010 in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh for the Electoral Boards of Posts in the Middle East and Africa and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Both government agencies expect over 200 Foreign Service personnel to attend the trainings in the 4 countries.
Padalhin explained that personal voting is similar to how one votes in the Philippines. “A-appear ka sa prisinto, bibigyan ka ng balota, fill-up mo, ikaw mismo maglagay,” he said.
As to postal voting, ballots are mailed from Manila to registered Filipino voters abroad.
“Mine-mail yun ballots from Manila. Mayroon tayong mailing center sa Post Office, doon lahat nagmumula yung mga ballots under the close watch of the representatives of political parties and it's open to the public. Ipapadala ng Comelec yung balota direct to the voter and the voter will have to fill up and return to the embassy,” he added.
Earlier this month, the DFA, Comelec and the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHILPOST) signed a memorandum of agreement on the implementation of the overseas postal voting in the 2010 elections.
“Nakapagpadala na. Tapos mayroon din mga posts, because of the peculiar circumstances sa kanilang mga jurisdiction, postal voting pero dumaan sa embassy. Dadaan muna ang ballots through our pouch, mayroon kaming diplomatic pouch na protected siya, tapos pagdating doon sa embassy, ang embassy ngayon ang magme-mail,” he explained.
On the other hand, poll automation will only be conducted in Hong Kong and Singapore because of the large concentration of Filipinos who registered. There are 31,851 registered voters in Singapore, while Hong Kong has a total of 93, 355 registered voters.
A separate training will be held a week before the start of the voting. He said consultations between the 2 posts are now ongoing.
Comments