13 May 2014 – The overseas voters registration for the 2016 presidential election resumed on May 6 in the US Northeast with 16 Filipinos becoming the newest overseas voters.The registration took place at the lobby of the Philippine Center as applicants were waiting for their turn to submit their passport and other consular applications to the Philippine Consulate General in New York.

Ms. Maria Cristina Dujan, a New York resident, was the first applicant while Ms. Amelia Amontos Lasig, who was born in 1947, was the first senior citizen registered at the Consulate. Both are US immigrants and hold dual citizenship.

The conduct of the first day of registration was orderly and peaceful. Some Filipinos expressed appreciation that the Affidavit of Intent to Return, which used to appear in the overseas voter application form, is not a requirement anymore in the new form.

A week earlier, the Consulate General hosted about 48 representatives of the various Philippine Embassies and Consulates General in North and South Americas for the overseas voting on-site training, which prepared them to do the tasks for the resumption of continuing voters registration.

The training was held in cooperation with the Commission on Elections, led by Commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Luie Tito Guia, and the Department of Foreign Affairs Overseas Voting Secretariat (OVS), represented by OVS Vice-Chair Mr.Edgardo Castro.

In 2013, 5,700 Filipinos registered as overseas voters at the Consulate General. For the 2016 elections, all Philippine Foreign Service Posts were given registration targets based on their previous registration and the number of qualified Filipinos residing in their respective areas of jurisdiction. END