PH Consulate General Extends Voters Registration to the Port of Barcelona During its “Akyat-Barko” OV Mobile Registration Drive
BARCELONA 03 July 2024 – The Philippine Consulate General-Barcelona’s Overseas Voting (OV) Team headed by Consul General Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro successfully conducted a mobile registration for overseas voting aboard MV Celebrity Ascent cruise ship on Saturday, 29 June 2024, while the ship was docked at the Port of Barcelona.
According to Mr. Sourabh Abhyankar, Crew Admin Manager, there were more than 300 Filipino crewmembers aboard working in various capacities as technical specialists, maintenance engineers, security officers, service crew, therapists and entertainers, to name a few.
The Consulate registered a total of ninety-four (94) seafarers and accommodated more than thirty (30) inquiries during the five-hour registration activity.
The Consulate also took the opportunity to conduct a kumustahan session with the seafarers and briefed them on the programs and services that the Consulate offers. It also informed the Filipino crewmembers of the COMELEC’s plan to conduct an internet-based/online voting for the upcoming midterm elections, and advised them to wait for the guidelines and further announcements on this. The Consulate also highlighted the important role of Filipinos overseas in the success of the electoral process and in the country’s future.
The Consulate thanked the ship management for accommodating its request and for partnering with Post on this important activity.
Mr. Abhyankar of Celebrity Ascent also expressed his appreciation for the registration effort and conveyed the seafarers’ eagerness to register and vote during the next elections. The Filipino crewmembers were likewise thankful that they will be able to vote anywhere in the world.
The Consulate plans to conduct a series of overseas voting mobile registration aboard inbound cruise ships docking at the Port of Barcelona in August and September. These initiatives are a testament to its commitment to enfranchise as many Filipinos overseas as possible through proactive information dissemination campaigns and outreach activities. END
The Consulate’s OV Team processing crewmembers’ voters registration and addressing issues/concerns on PH 2025 Mid-Term Election
For more information,visit https://barcelonapcg.dfa.gov.ph/ or https://www.facebook.com/PHinBarcelona/.