Many Filipino voters are complaining about finding their names missing in the Certified List of Absentee Voters.

Consul General Benito B. Valeriano explained that the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) designated the  post of Philippine Consul General in Dubai starting this election only. “In the previous elections, the Filipino voters  registered  with the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi. They can still vote this year by going to Abu Dhabi.”

In all, 47,665 Filipino voters had earlier registered in 2003 and in 2009 in the Philippine diplomatic missions in UAE, 17,041 of which were registered with the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the remaining 30,624 with the Consulate in Dubai.

They are expected to vote between Saturday, first day of the election 
period for Overseas Absentee Voters, and May 10, 2010, the election day in the Philippines.

In Dubai, Filipino voters can proceed to six polling precincts within the Philippine Consulate to cast their votes with the assistance of three members of the Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) in each precinct.

Abu Dhabi has three polling precincts, two at the embassy and another one at the Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO).

Casting of votes is allowed from 8.30am to 4.30pm including Fridays and Saturdays until May 9. On May 10, the national election day, voting ends at 2pm here at the same time as COMELEC closes in Manila.

Vice-Consul Edwin Mendoza at the Philippine Consulate in Dubai told Khaleej Times that the COMELEC, which sent to the Certified List of Absentee Voters, ruled that Filipino voters can only vote in the precincts or polling centers where their names appeared in the Certified List of Absentee Voters.” 

He advised all those registered in Abu Dhabi in 2003 and 2009 to proceed to the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and cast their votes there and likewise to those registered in Dubai but had shifted to Abu Dhabi due to work assignments to come to the Consulate to vote.

He added that if the voter is certain that he is not registered in other polling places but his name is missing in the Certified List of Absentee Voters, he should approach the SBEI so the Consulate can inquire from the COMELEC Certified Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat in Manila.

Consul-General Mendoza also advised all registered voters to proceed to the polling centers where they were had earlier registered without waiting for their Voter’s Identification Cards (Voter’s ID) because the COMELEC already issued a resolution suspending the printing of Voter’s ID.

He said that voters should take with them any valid identification card, which carried their signature and picture on it and present it at the polling centre. “First, they have to check if their names are in the Certified List of Absentee Voters. If their names are not there they cannot vote.

Earlier, Consul-General Adelio Cruz at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi told Khaleej Times that COMELEC is currently “purging” the voters’ list as some Filipinos have registered more than once. COMELEC would only issue voters’ ID cards to the new registrants as soon as the list is thoroughly scrutinised and this would be after May10.

The COMELEC previously announced that those who registered in 2003 but failed to vote in the 2004 and 2007 elections have to register again, however, others who voted in 2007 have re-registered which resulted in multiple entries. For the 2010 national election, COMELEC sent the missions abroad a Certified List of Overseas Absentee Voters which included the names of those without voter’s ID cards but had registered last year.