Pinoys in Hong Kong raring to vote in 2010 polls

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Filipinos in Hong Kong have the highest number of overseas voter registrants with 21,905 signing up to participate in the 2010 polls.

Since February, Filipinos in this Chinese province have been the most enthusiastic about the upcoming presidential elections, consistently topping the overseas absentee voting registration.

Hong Kong is followed by:

- Los Angeles (13,205),
- Dubai (12,477),
- Singapore (11,296),
- New York (6,496)
- Riyadh (6,120)
- London (5,821),
- Tokyo (5,257),
- Taipei (5,243), and
- Toronto (4,873)

There are more than 130,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong, mostly working as domestic helpers with two-year contracts. – GMANews.TV

The number of new overseas Filipino voters for the 2010 elections failed to meet the government’s one million target, which some groups say is an indication of the prevailing cynicism among migrants on the current political climate.

When the overseas absentee voting (OAV) registration closed on Monday (Aug. 31), only 216,176 Filipinos from 97 Philippine posts all over the world registered for next year’s presidential elections.

While this figure surpassed the total number of OAV applicants in the 2007 mid-term elections, which only had 142,667 registrants, it still pales in comparison to the number of registered absentee voters in the 2004 presidential elections.

The Department of Foreign Affairs’ OAV Secretariat (OAVS) said that in 2003, when Filipinos were first given the chance to vote overseas, a total of 359,296 registered.

Ambassador Nestor Padalhin of the DFA secretariat had earlier hoped for a million overseas Filipino voters for the 2010 Philippine presidential elections as the government projected.

“It’s impossible to reach that goal at this point,” Padalhin earlier told GMANews.TV.

To reach the millionth-mark, the government should have attracted at least 167,000 new voters every month. But since the registration began in February, the number of OAV registrants has not even reached 100,000 until June.

According to Padalhin, the DFA has done everything, from talking to Filipino community leaders to aggressively promoting the registration in the media to increase the OAV figures, but new overseas voters seem elusive.

“It is likely that most Filipinos overseas have already registered to vote since 2003,” Padalhin said.

Advocacy leader Susan Ople of the Blas F. Ople Advocacy Center lauded the DFA OAVS’ efforts in bolstering the number of Filipino registrants and heightening the awareness of Pinoy migrants about the 2010 elections.

“They did a great job. Kudos to them,” she said.

However, she said, the fact remains that a big number of Filipinos are simply uninterested in the 2010 polls.

“Iniisip nila na kahit naman bumoto sila, wala namang nangyayari (They’re thinking, even if they vote, nothing will change),” she said.

She earlier said that the dismal number of overseas Filipinos who registered might also be a sign that they are bored with the roster of candidates.

“They have to titillate and excite voters,” she said. [See: 'Titillate, excite overseas Pinoys to boost OAV turnout']

Ellene Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy, blamed the poor OAV turnout to several technical problems in the Middle East, particularly the lack equipment to process the number of applicants.

According to her, what used to be more than 50 data-capturing machines in Saudi Arabia was reduced to less than a dozen. Sana said a fire in the Riyadh embassy several years back, has destroyed several machines, which was not fully replenished during this year’s six-month registration period.

An estimated 1.2 million Filipinos live and work in Saudi Arabia.

Extend registration

Several Philippine lawmakers have earlier tried to help the government increase the voting turnout of overseas Filipinos.

Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Satur Ocampo filed a bill in Congress seeking to move the Aug. 31 deadline to December, while Senators Manuel Villar and Aquilino Pimentel Jr. wanted to make registration centers more accessible to Filipinos in remote areas abroad.

But even Pimentel noted the “prevailing apathy” among Filipinos toward Philippine elections.

“I had the opportunity to talk with a good number of overseas Filipinos. The response to registration for absentee voting for the purpose of computerized elections was very depressing,” the minority leader said.

Aside from fears of jeopardizing their dual citizenship status, Pimentel said many Filipinos are doubtful whether their votes will be counted following the “Hello Garci” controversy in 2004.

“I had to tell them that their votes can actually make a difference. If only a significant proportion of overseas Filipinos will exercise their voting right, they can be a swing vote in the presidential, vice presidential and senatorial elections,” he said. – Joseph Holandes Ubalde, GMANews.TV

YANBU, Saudi Arabia – Patuloy na nakararamdan ng alinlangan ang ilang overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sa bansang ito kung magagamit nila ang kanilang karapatan na bumoto sa 2010 elections sa pamamagitan ng Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV).

Nakatakdang magtapos sa Agosto 30 ang pagpaparehistro sa OAV ng mga kuwalipikadong Pinoy na nasa labas ng Pilipinas upang makaboto sa posisyon ng presidente, bise presidente, senador at party-list representatives.

Gayunman, pinaigting ng mga kinatawan ng embahada at konsulada ng Pilipinas sa Saudi ang kampanya para maparehistro ang mga bagong botante.

Sa Saudi Arabia, lingo-lingo nang dumarayo ang ilan sa mga tauhan ng embahada sa kanilang mga nasasakupan upang magproseso ng mga bagong botante. Naging matagumpay naman ang pagsisikap ng embahada dahil maraming bagong botante ang nagpatala sa Altawhid International School sa Yanbu.

Sinabi ni Elsa Masa, miyembro ng OAV Mobile team, mahigit 500 OFWs ang dumating at nagpatala sa loob lamang ng dalawang araw.

Katuwang ng mga opisyal ng embahada ang mga Filipino Community group sa Saudi sa pangunguna ni Rey Vicencio at Alpha Phi Omega Alumni Association ng Western Region Yanbu.

Kasama rin sa mga nag-oorganisa ng pagpaparehistro sina Larry Cabagon at Nelly Manayao na nag-aasikaso sa mga OFW tulad ng paghahatid at pagsundo sa mga walang sasakyan, nagbibigay ng inumin at pagtulong sa pagpapapirma ng mga registration form.

Ang Yanbu ay isang industriyalisadong lungsod sa kanlurang bahagi ng Saudi Arabia at may layong 340 kilometro mula sa Jeddah kung saan matatagpuan konsulado ng Pilipinas na pagdarausan ng botohan.

Dahil sa layo ng lugar, hindi maiwasan ng ilang OFW na nagparehistro na magtanong kung makakaboto sila sa takdang panahon dahil na rin sa layo ng lugar na pagbobotohan nila.

Si Rico Fuerte, tubong Iloilo, nangangamba na baka masayang lang ang kanyang paghihirap sa malayong pagbiyahe upang magparehistro kung hindi naman sila makakaboto.

“Gusto naming bumoto kaya kami nagpaparehistro (kala lang) baka masayang lang itong pagpila (sa pagpaparehistro),” pahayag ni Fuerte dahil sa distansiya ng pagdarausan ng botohan.

Pakiusap ng OFW, gumawa ng paraan ang embahada upang matiyak na lahat ng nagpatala sa OAV ay makakaboto saan man lugar sila nandoon.

Iminungkahi naman ni Emily Orsales na magpadala ng kinatawan ang Commission ong Election sa Yanbu para marami ang makaboto sa halip na papuntahin sila sa Jeddah.

Ang mungakhi Orsales ay sinuportahan ni Marietta Llarena na nagpahayag na nagawa ng embahada na magtungo sa kanilang lugar para sila makapagparehistro, kaya puwede rin silang bumalik sa Yanbu para matiyak na makaboboto sila. – Ronaldo Z. Concha, GMANews.TV

Jul 10, 2009 | 07:00 PM

MANILA – Lumalakas ang suporta ng mga kongresista sa mungkahi na palawigin ang registration period ng mga overseas Filipino workers para sa Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) upang makaboto sila sa 2010 presidential elections.

Sa magkakahiwalay na panayam nitong Biyernes, sinabi nina Reps. Joel Villanueva (Cibac), Mujiv Hataman (AMIN) at Juan Edgardo Angara (Aurora), nararapat na bigyan ng karagdagang panahon ng Commission on Elections (Coemelec) ang mga OFW na makapagparehistro upang hindi sila ma-disenfranchise.

Naniniwala ang mga kongresista na masyadong maigsi ang itinakdang panahon ng Comelec para makapagparehistro ng mga OFW na magtatapos sa Agosto 31. (Basahin: Anong Say Mo sa Absentee Voting?)

“Since the commission is targeting one million overseas absentee voters, it is only correct and appropriate to make the August 31 deadline extended until December,” pahayag ni Villanueva, miyembro ng House committees on overseas and workers affairs at suffrage and electoral reforms.

Nangangamba naman ni Hataman, kasapi rin ng committee on overseas workers affairs, na baka hindi makamit ng Comelec ang target na 1 milyong botante sa overseas absentee voting kung tatapusin kaagad sa Agosto ang pagpapatala.

“We have to give more time to OFW’s who are usually having troubles with their busy schedules, let’s give them enough time so that they can find opportunity to register,” paliwanag niya.

Nakatanggap naman umano ng impormasyon si Angara na hindi sapat ang information campaign ng Comelec at Department of Foreign Affairs upang mabigyan ng kaalaman ang mga OFW tungkol sa karapatan nilang bumoto.

Bukod pa rito, inirereklamo rin umano ng ilang OFWs na hindi akma sa kanilang schedule ng day-off ang itinakdang araw ng pagpaparehistro ng Comelec kaya marami sa kanilang ang hindi nakapupunta sa mga lugar kung saan sila puwedeng magpatala.

“Hindi naman siguro malaking problema sa Comelec kung mag-extend sila ng registration period kahit ilang buwan lang upang matiyak na hindi sila maaalisan ng karapatan na bumoto,” ayon sa kongresista.

Sa ilalim ng OAV Act, ang mga OFW at iba pang Pinoy na nasa ibang bansa ay maaaring bumoto sa posisyon ng presidente, bise presidente at party-list representantives.

Naghain na si Bayan Muna party list Rep. Satur Ocampo ng House Resolution (HR) No. 1249 upang hilingin sa Comelec na habaan ang panahon ng pagpaparehistro ng mga OFW.

“The Comelec and DFA-OAVS (Department of Foreign Affairs-Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat) need more time to realistically attain their target of one million overseas absentee voters and make up for all the constraints and shortcomings in the implementation of the project,” nakasaad sa resolusyon.

Batay umano sa talaan ng Comelec, sinabi ni Ocampo na umabot lamang sa 85,784 ang bilang ng mga OFW na nagpatala mula Pebrero hanggang Mayo 27, 2009.

Idinagdag sa ulat na 120,000 ang kabuuang bilang ng nagpatalang OFWs hanggang nitong unang bahagi ng Hulyo. – GMANews.TV