OFW from Zamboanga 1st to vote in Jeddah for PHL's midterm polls

 April 14, 2019 4:26am

 By RONALDO Z. CONCHA

An OFW from Zamboanga was the first one to vote in Jeddah for the Philippines' 2019 midterm polls on Saturday, the first polling day of the month-long overseas absentee voting (OAV).
In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the OAV began Saturday morning with Leviticus Dela Torre, 28, a system specialist, as the first one to cast his ballot.
"I'm happy and first time na nakaboto at na exercise ko ang karapatan ko na makapili ng karapat dapat na kandidato," Dela Torre said.

First day of OAV polls for PHL's 2019 midterm polls. --R. Choncha
First day of OAV polls for the PHL's 2019 midterm polls. --R. Choncha

However, some OFWs in the Kingdom expressed disappointment for failing to vote on the first polling day after they failed to find their names on the voter's list.
Johnny Abayan said he cannot find his name on the list, but he expected that he would be able to vote glitch-free as he was able to vote in the last national elections.
He called on the Comelec to improve its OAV system.
"Yung sa sistema nyo ay itama nyo. Kung papasok ang mga boboto sa inyo Sana po ay nasa sistema, kagaya nito ang gulo-gulo, nagtatanong kami kung saan saan kami ituturo," he lamented.
Meanwhile, Consul General Edgar Badajos said the Consulate in Jeddah immediately reported problems at the polls to the Comelec for immediate action. —LBG, GMA News

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