COMELEC urged to extend OAV registration
| 08/25/2009 12:41 PM
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Migrant groups on Tuesday urged the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to extend its overseas absentee voting registration to give more Filipino migrant workers a chance to register and vote in the 2010 national elections.
“As the duration of registration has been shortened from originally 1 year to 7 months by virtue of COMELEC en banc resolution, we appeal to our COMELEC Commissioners to reconsider the original duration of 1 year so that our fellow OFWs could register themselves and vote come 2010 elections,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator.
The OAV registration started February 1 of this year and will end on August 31, 2009.
“It would be hard for the COMELEC and OAV Secretariat to attain a considerable number of registrants such as its 1-M target given all other factors present delaying the registration,” Monterona said.
The OAV Secretariat said that based on the August 24, 2009 report there are now a total of 193,388 registrants: Asia and the Pacific with 55,894; Middle East and Africa, 36,613; Americas, 35,629; Europe, 20,583; POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration), 19,062; NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport)13,916; OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration), 6,066; and the CFO (Commission on Filipinos Overseas), 5,625.
“We are hoping that with the granting of the OAV extension until 31 December 2009, we could gather all in all 300,000 OAV registrants benchmarking the OAV registrants last 2003 registration or even higher,” Monterona added.
Migrante International is conducting various activities including OAV information drive to encourage more OFWs to register and exercise their right to vote.
“We will double our efforts, in fact Migrante chapters in Saudi Arabia and other countries have scheduled press conferences and dialogs with other OFWs organizations, aside from OAV leaflets distribution, this coming Friday to announce that we still have remaining days until end of registration; but at the same time we appeal to our COMELEC Commissioners especially to COMELEC Chairman Melo to reconsider extending the OAV until 31 December 2009,” Monterona said.
Migrante’s local chapter in Riyadh, the Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan is even planning to rent a bus to bring Filipinos based in industrial areas to the Philippine Embassy just to register.
Meanwhile, a mobile registration in Saudi Arabia will be held at the Philippine International School in Buraydah, Faiziah District and Buraydahy, Qassim on August 27 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and August 28 from 8 a.m. to 12 NN.
“To fellow OFWs, come to Philippine Embassies and Consular offices and at mobile registrations centers as scheduled to register and vote in the 2010 national elections. Exercise your right to vote, your vote will make a difference and effect the change we want,” Monterona said.
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