DFA-OVS Facilitates 2nd Special Register Anywhere Program and Conducts Briefing for Newly Appointed Foreign Service Officers on Internet Voting for the 2025 National Elections

“SUBANGAN” Batch XXX FSO Cadets with Vice Chairperson Robert D. Quintin (Photo Credits: DFA-OVS)

MANILA 30 August 2024 – The Department of Foreign Affairs – Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS) and the Commission on Elections collaborated in the conduct of the 2nd Special Register Anywhere Program (SRAP) for the 2025 National Elections for Department personnel on 22 August 2024 at the Bulwagang Elpidio Quirino of the DFA. The first SRAP was conducted last February 2024.

The event was facilitated by the DFA-OVS in cooperation with COMELEC. The SRAP catered to DFA officers and staff who have completed their tour-of-duty abroad, and who need to avail of COMELEC’s voter registration services. 

Both SRAPs conducted this year, processed a total of three hundred seventy-six (376) applications which included but were not limited to, transfers, new registrations, reactivations and updating of voter records. 

The deadline for overseas voter registration is on 30 September 2024.

Also, the DFA-OVS provided 16 newly appointed Foreign Service Officers FSOs (Batch XXX) with a detailed overview about overseas voting and its latest updates including the implementation of internet voting by the COMELEC at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) last 21 August 2024

Overseas voting (OV) is included in the revised Foreign Service Officers’ Cadetship Course (FSOCC) whose six-month curriculum is designed to enhance the skills of the FSO cadets in promoting foreign policy objectives, advancing economic and security interests, and to acquaint them with consular and diplomatic duties and responsibilities.

DFA-OVS discussed different topics on OV such as its background and legal basis, OV registration and process, qualifications to register, registration requirements, registration venues, the COMELEC Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) virtual frontline service (VFS), registration period, types of registration, field and mobile registration, OV personnel, Resident Election Registration Board (RERB), modes of voting including personal, postal and internet voting.

DFA-OVS also informed the FSO cadets on how preparations for the implementation of internet voting have intensified after its kick-off in Busan, South Korea last June 2024 where DFA-OVS and COMELEC conducted the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) Training and Internet Voting Information Drive. This was followed by a series of trainings and information dissemination activities in Barcelona, Spain, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore for Filipino community leaders and members of the media.  These trainings are designed to orient and build the capacity of DFA personnel from different foreign service posts (FSPs), who will be serving in the elections in 2025, on the OVCS.

DFA-OVS also informed the FSO cadets that they are most likely to perform OV duties that includes chairmanship of electoral boards and managing of OV registration/voting team among others when they are deployed at Post. END