BY SAMMY JULIAN
FOR the first time in the 11-year electoral history of Philippine overseas voting, overseas voter registration (OVR) has breached the one million mark.
This is good news for the Department of Foreign Affairs, Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS) which is tasked to maintain the momentum of OV registration by keeping the overseas Filipinos interested and engaged in this democratic process.
Based on current data, during the second month (June) of OVR in preparation for the 2016 presidential elections, the Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) processed 20,039 new OVR applications – a 7.5 percent increase from the record-breaking performance (18,631) in May.
This brings to 38,670 the total number of OVR registration within a span of two months. When added to the existing accumulated overseas voter stock of 975,263, the one million registered overseas voter mark is broken by the total of 1,013,933.
The Top 10 performing Foreign Service Posts for the month of June are:
- Dubai (2,216)
- Toronto (1,373)
- San Francisco (1,299)
- Abu Dhabi (1,161)
- Kuwait (1,031)
- Los Angeles (989)
- Jeddah (941)
- New York (847)
- Singapore (787); and
- Milan (764).
Also in June, the first Overseas Voter Registration Center (OVRC) in the Philippines for this election cycle was opened at the Office of Consular Affairs (OCA), Macapagal Avenue, ASEANA Business Park.
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), immigrants and seafarers who are about to leave for abroad and who are not yet registered as overseas voters may now register at this newly launched facility.
In addition, these registrants no longer have to set an appointment to apply for renewal of passport. Their OVR stub will allow them access to the Passport Division’s Courtesy Lane.
These were all put in place as the DFA-OVS, together with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), has set an ambitious but statistically attainable goal of one million new overseas Filipino voter registrants for the registration period covering May 6, 2014 to October 31, 2015.
The main challenge confronting the FSPs is aging voter registration equipment which constantly malfunction.
Still both the Secretariat and the Commission are confident that a solution is at hand, despite the meager resources available to the Comelec for overseas voter activities since it is not an election year.
All Filipino citizens who expect to be abroad during the 30-day overseas voting period (from April 9 to May 9, 2016) for the 2016 presidential elections, at least 18 years old on May 9, 2016, and not otherwise disqualified by law, may register as an overseas voter in all Philippine Foreign Service Posts, including the three Manila Economic and Cultural Offices (MECO), Office of Consular Affairs, Macapagal Avenue, ASEANA Business Park, and at other Comelec-approved registration centers within or outside the Philippines.
At the current pace of registration, DFA Undersecretary for Civil Security and Consular Concerns and DFA-OVS Chairman Rafael S. Seguis said they could have an overseas voter stock of over two million for the 2016 presidential elections.
Attaining this goal can definitely be a game changer./PN
