PH Embassy in Kuwait Gears Up for 2019 Elections

Delegation to the overseas voting training includes representatives from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, the Philippine Embassy in Manama, the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Al Khobar. (Kuwait PE photo)

KUWAIT 01 April 2019 – The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait announced that it has now shifted gears to overseas voting (OV) mode, following a successful overseas voter registration campaign, when the Embassy surpassed its 22-month target and registered more than 96,000 Filipino overseas voters.

The Embassy’s focus and efforts will now be towards performing its tasks, as mandated by Republic Act 10590, which provides a system of overseas absentee voting by qualified Filipino citizens abroad.

The Embassy sent a delegation to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to attend an OV trainng conducted by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs – Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS) on 18 to 20 March 2019. Its aim was to train Foreign Service personnel to perform their respective functions as members of the Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC), Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG), Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI), Canvas Consolidation System (CCS) Operators, and Vote Counting Machine (VCM) Operators.

“This intensive three-day training on the General Instructions in the conduct AES, which also includes the operation of the VCMs, will definitely prepare the Embassy’s personnel to better serve in the upcoming 2019 National Elections,” said Embassy Chargé d’ Affaires, a.i. Mohd. Noordin Pendosina N. Lomondot.

Participants who constitute the SBEI were also given written and hands-on examination, which was administered by the Department of Science and Technology representative, who would subsequently certify them to act and function as mandated by the OV Law.

The Embassy will also conduct echo training for these who were not able to join the Embassy’s delegation to Riyadh, as this will also be an opportunity for them to further practice what they have learned during the OV training. 

The Embassy will also intensify its OV omni-media campaign to further encourage registered overseas Filipinos to exercise their right to suffrage. The Embassy will carry DFA-OVS and COMELEC’s battle cry and slogan for this election period: “Let’s All Vote! Let’s Strengthen our Democracy. It’s Our Right and Duty.”

The overseas voting election period starts on 13 April 2019 at 8:00 a.m. (Kuwait time), and will end on 13 May 2019 at 6:00 p.m. (Philippine time). END

For more information, visit www.kuwaitpe.dfa.gov.ph, www.philembassykuwait.gov.kw or https://www.facebook.com/PEinKuwait/.