Overseas voters registration breaches .6 M mark

MANILA, Philippines - Two months before the deadline, the overseas voters (OV) registration has surpassed the 600,000 mark.

The Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday said the OV secretariat reported that foreign service posts processed 249,512 new OV registrants from the Middle East and Africa; 123,993  from the Americas; 68,124 from Europe and 91,088 from Asia and the Pacific, while overseas voter registration centers in the Philippines processed 68,106 applications.

Six registration centers were opened at the DFA’s consular offices in Davao, Cebu and San Fernando, Pampanga and DFA satellite offices at Robinsons Galleria, SM Manila and Ali Mall last month, in addition to nine centers processing applications of overseas Filipino workers, immigrants, seafarers and students who are leaving for abroad, but have not yet registered as OVs.

Last June, the iREHISTRO online system was also launched, which allows registrants to schedule their personal appearance at the embassy, consulate, mission or mobile and field registration site for biometric registration.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista lauded the efforts of the DFA and Philippine embassies to increase the number of registered overseas Filipino voters.

“I hope we can look into the possibility of holding these registrations in public areas like malls, public squares and parks, community centers and other suitable places where the host government allows the conduct of election-related activities,” Bautista said. “At the current pace of registration, the 2016 presidential elections will be the first to have over a million active registered overseas voters. Attaining this goal can definitely be a game changer,” Office of Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, concurrent chairman of DFA-OVS, said. – With Mayen Jaymalin