• Home

Filipinos told to enlist for OAVR

DUBAI — Barely a month before the scheduled August 31 registration deadline, Filipinos in the UAE have been reminded and encouraged by officials of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Dubai to enlist themselves for the Overseas Absentee Voting Registration (OAVR) programme.

This would allow them to take part in the Philippine national elections in May 2007.

In an earlier interview with Khaleej Times, Philippine Consul General Antonio S. Curameng said that if bona fide Filipino voters fail to register until the slated August 31 deadline, they will not be allowed to vote in the May 2007 elections.

"The programme provides Filipinos residing overseas a chance to exercise their right to suffrage. Our objective is to encourage them to register so that when the election comes, they at least have a choice whether to vote or not," he said.

Similarly, the Philippine Embassy has issued a reminder to Filipinos to make their voices heard in the 2007 elections by registering in the OAVR programme. Embassy officials noted that Filipinos may get additional information regarding the OAVR by logging on to the Philippine Commission on Elections' (Comelec) official web site at http://www/comelec.gov.ph/oav/oav.html.

Application forms may also be downloaded from the web site and filled out before submitting to either the embassy or the consulate-general.

Each registered voter will also be entitled to a Comelec identification card, which is as valid as the Philippine passport itself, Curameng emphasised.

The OAVR programme was launched in all Philippine diplomatic outposts worldwide on October 1, 2005 by the Comelec, with the deadline set on August 31 this year.

However, the consulate-general has noted that only a total of 1,616 Filipinos have registered as of July 31, which is still a far cry considering that Dubai and the Northern Emirates are second home to some 150,000 Filipinos.

• UAE