11 May 2015 – The Department of Foreign Affairs - Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS) announced that the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), in collaboration with DFA-OVS, rolled out iREHISTRO on May 05. This online registration system will now be utilized by the following Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) in Europe and Israel: the Philippine Embassies in Ankara, Athens, Berlin, Berne, Brussels, Budapest, Lisbon, London, Moscow, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, The Hague, Vatican, Vienna, Warsaw, Tel Aviv, the Philippine Consulate General in Milan, and the Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva.
iREHISTRO is an online system that provides an alternative to filling out applications for voter registration-related processes. Following submission of one’s application through iREHISTRO, prospective applicants need to make a personal call at the FSP or mobile/field registration site to present their duly accomplished and signed application form and to undergo biometrics capturing. Voter registration applications are then submitted to the Resident Election Registration Board (RERB) for approval.
Commissioner Al A. Parreño conceptualized iREHISTRO and now manages COMELEC’s implementation of the system. iREHISTRO was presented by Commissioner Parreño to the Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS) last September 2014. The pilot program of iREHISTRO was utilized successfully by the Philippine Embassy in Madrid, Spain from November 2014 to January 2015.
Based on the Philippine Embassy in Madrid’s recommendation, with a favourable endorsement from DFA-OVS, the COMELEC approved the implementation of iREHISTRO for all Philippine FSPs. Regional training for voter registration machine operators in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the Americas region had just been successfully completed. iREHISTRO will soon be rolled out to the Middle East and Africa, as well as the Americas region. Training and rollout for FSPs in the Asia Pacific region is being planned for the end of this month.
Overseas Filipinos in Europe and Israel now have the option of filling up voter registration application forms from the comfort of their homes, workplace, internet café, or anywhere they have access to a reliable internet connection. The optional appointment feature of the system allows for better time management, since it provides them an easy way to schedule their personal appearance at an FSP or mobile/field registration site.
iRehistro can help FSPs in determining the volume of voter registration applicants coming in every day. The head count projection also aids in planning consular outreach programs and Akyat Barko activities. The online fillable application form also aids in decreasing processing time so that FSPs could potentially accept more applicants per day.
All Filipino citizens who expect to be in Europe and Israel during the 30-day (April 09 to May 09) overseas voting period for the 2016 Presidential Elections, at least 18 years old on May 09, 2016, not otherwise disqualified by law and who would like to avail of the iREHISTRO system to apply for registration as an overseas voter may visit www.irehistro.com or www.comelec.gov.ph as early as now to access the iREHISTRO system. Voter registration period ends on October 31. END