Filipinos in Singapore receive automated poll briefing

The Philippines’ election and foreign affairs officials gave Filipinos in Singapore a briefing about the country’s first automated polls.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) official Armando Velasco led the event, which was attended by Filipino community leaders in the Asian city-state, the Philippine Embassy in Singapore reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Ambassador Nestor Padalhin, Vice Chairman of the Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat, also attended the briefing.

The briefing included instructions regarding the use of the new ballot and automated poll machines, also known as the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS), the city-state’s Philippine embassy said.

“Nine PCOS devices will be delivered to the Philippine Embassy in Singapore for the 2010 elections," the DFA said on its website on Monday.

Automated overseas absentee voting (OAV) will be conducted only in Singapore and Hong Kong, from April 10 to May 10. Overseas voting elsewhere will be postal or manual.

Singapore has the second highest number of registered overseas absentee voters in Asia at 31,851, the DFA noted.

During the briefing, Velasco cited key features and advantages of automated voting, which is as follows:


As the names of all the candidates are pre-printed on the ballot, there is no need to write their names on the ballot, minimizing spelling errors.


The voter only needs to shade with a special pen the blank oval
beside the names of the chosen candidates, and insert the accomplished ballot in the PCOS.


Counting and canvassing of votes will be automated and done by the PCOS, ensuring accuracy and speedy results.


At the end of the 30-day voting period, the results will be transmitted to the Comelec in the Philippines a few hours after the close of voting.

For her part, Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Minda Cruz reminded registered voters to vote as early as possible.

“I call on all registered overseas absentee voters to exercise their right of suffrage early, preferably during the first two weeks of voting, instead of waiting for the last week, to avoid long queues in our Embassy," she said.

Overseas absentee voters can only vote for the national elective positions of President, Vice President, 12 senators and one Party-list Representative, but not for local positions.

Registered voters in Singapore will be required to vote in person at the Philippine Embassy at 20 Nassim Road.

The Embassy will be open for voting for 30 straight days (April 10-May 10), including weekends, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, except on the last day of voting when it will close at 6 p.m.

Voters must bring their valid Philippine passport and identification card (PR card, S-Pass, E-Pass or Work Permit).

Before proceeding to the Embassy, the voter must check if his/her name is in the Certified List of Overseas Absentee Voters (CLOAV) found in the Comelec website.

Only overseas absentee voters whose name appears in the CLOAV will be allowed to vote. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV

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