09 September 2014 – The Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS) announced on September 5 that for the month of August 2014, overseas voter registration increased by more than fifty percent from 24,366 to 37,479  over the July 2014 monthly tally.

This is the highest rate of increase so far in overseas voters registration (OVR), since it started last May 6 for the 2016 Presidential election cycle. Last month’s tally sets a new milestone for this period by bringing the four month total (18,670 in May; 20,836 in June) of new overseas voter registrants to 101,351.

Last June, for the first time in the eleven year electoral history of Philippine overseas voting, OVR breached the one million mark. As of September 5, total overseas voter stocks stands at 1,076,524.

“At the current pace of registration, we could have an overseas voter stock of over two million for the 2016 Presidential elections. Attaining this goal can definitely be a game changer,” Office of Civil Security and Consular Concerns Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis, who is concurrently Chairman of DFA-OVS, said.

The August tally broken down by region is as follows: the Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) in the Middle East and Africa (MENA) processed 20,079 new overseas voter registrants, 7,242 from the Americas, the European FSPs with 4,278, and 3,540 from the Asia Pacific (2,340 from Philippine OVRCs). The top ten FSPs are Riyadh (7,916), Abu Dhabi (3,420), Dubai (2,805), Jeddah (2,332), San Francisco (1,655), Singapore (1,193), New York (1,076), Los Angeles (1,034), London (887), and Toronto (813).

Almost fifty four percent (54%) of last month’s production came from the FSPs in MENA. They attribute their success and enhanced performance to the DFA’s issuance of Foreign Service Circular (FSC) No. 160-2014. FSC 160-2014 integrates overseas voters registration with the passport renewal process.

“The preparations by the Department and the Commission on Elections led to a successful start for the registration process,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a letter.

The Foreign Service continues to outperform itself with their record breaking pace despite the suspension of overseas voter registration activities at the various hotspots which includes Libya, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, and the Gaza strip in view of the deteriorating security situation thereat.

Another challenge confronting the FSPs is aging voter registration equipment which constantly malfunctions. The equipment was provided by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) during the previous election cycles. DFA-OVS is closely coordinating with the COMELEC on how to address the situation. Both the Secretariat and the Commission are confident that a solution is at hand, despite the meager resources available to the COMELEC for overseas voter activities since it is not an election year.

“The challenge for OV registration is to maintain the momentum by keeping the overseas Filipinos interested and engaged in this democratic process,” Sec. del Rosario added.

All Filipino citizens who expect to be abroad during the thirty day (April 9 – May 9, 2016) overseas voting period for the 2016 Presidential Elections, at least 18 years old on 9 May 2016, and not otherwise disqualified by law, may register as an overseas voter, at all Philippine Foreign Service Posts including the three (3) Manila Economic and Cultural Offices (MECO), Office of Consular Affairs, Macapagal Ave., ASEANA Business Park, Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), 1345 Pres. Quirino Ave., Paco, Manila and at other COMELEC approved registration centers outside of the FSPs or in the Philippines. (for an updated list please go to www.dfa-oavs.gov.ph or www.comelec.gov.ph) END