12 May 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Damascus resumed overseas voters registration on May 7 for the 2016 presidential elections amid the civil war in Syria.

On the first day of registration, the Embassy’s overseas voters registration machine operator, Julian Vasquez assisted Vice Consul Francis Maynard S. Maleon, Rapid Response Team member Rex Malimban and eight other eligible voters for biometric capturing.

Vice Consul Maleon also announced the resumption of the voters registration at the gathering of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) at St. Anthony Parish Church during the Labor Day celebration hosted by the Filipino Community in Syria (FCS) last May 4.

While the Mandatory Repatriation Program of the Philippine government for all Filipinos in Syria is being implemented, there are a number of Filipino nationals married to Syrians with children, who opted to remain in Syria. The Philippine Embassy also intends to conduct mobile registration in the cities of Lattakia and Tartous where some OFWs still reside and work.

The Embassy was unable to take part in the overseas voters registration for the 2013 mid-year elections due to the intense violence that engulfed large portions of the country. END