Joint Briefing Conducted for Filipino Communities, Stakeholders in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in Preparation for 2025 Overseas Voting Period
The Philippine Country Team in the UAE poses for an online photo opportunity with COMELEC Director Ian Michael Geonaga. (Abu Dhabi PE photo)
ABU DHABI 24 March 2025 — The Philippine Country Team in the UAE, composed of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, officially kicked off the period for overseas voting on 20 March 2025 with a simultaneous joint briefing for Filipino community leaders, media outlets and personalities, organizations and key stakeholders in the UAE on Online Overseas Voting for the 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE).
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Director Ian Michael Geonaga was the resource speaker for the event that was held in hybrid format, on live telecast and online streaming, with the simultaneous participation of attendees from Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso A. Ver and Philippine Consul General in Dubai Marford M. Angeles facilitated the briefing that aimed to provide clear guidance on the implementation of the new online voting system, and ensure that overseas Filipino voters in the UAE are well-informed and prepared to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming elections. The UAE has the highest number of registered overseas Filipino voters all over the world at around 189,396, according to the COMELEC’s Certified List of Voters (CLOV) for Abu Dhabi and Dubai. For the first time, Filipino Overseas Voters in the UAE will be casting their votes online using mobile devices.
“We started overseas absentee voting 20 years ago in response to the clamor of our overseas Filipinos to have their voices heard in electing our nation’s leaders, and in turn substantively participate in charting the destiny of our country. Election is the purest exercise of that participation in our political process where all Filipinos, regardless of their status or background, will have equal and same rights to cast just one vote. Hence, with online voting being piloted for our kababayan overseas— a historic first in the history of our country’s democracy. We now call on everyone’s utmost participation and engagement from our part to make this new mode of voting work and succeed,” Ambassador Ver said.
Consul General Angeles, for his part, added that “our Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate in Dubai are moving as one government to ensure all Filipino voters in the UAE are able to cast their ballots. Each vote counts and matters – for this is the voice of the people. By leveraging technology and with everyone’s support, we hope for the widest participation of Filipino voters in the UAE as we have the highest number of registered overseas voters all over the world.”
The event marks the start of a series of activities that the Philippine missions in the UAE will be holding for Online Overseas Voting for the 2025 NLE. The briefing was streamed live on the official social media pages of Abu Dhabi PE and Dubai PCG to extend the session’s reach. It has since logged 22,714 views, at least 11,611 reaches, at least 1,197 link-clicks, with 325 interactions and 130 shares.
Through this initiative, the Philippine Country Team in the UAE reaffirms the commitment to foster greater voter awareness and encourage participation among overseas Filipinos in the UAE for the 2025 NLE.
For more information and updates on overseas voting, visit http://www.comelec.gov.ph. END
Ambassador Alfonso A. Ver deliver his message in an online setup for the onsite attendees at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the online attendees from the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai. (Abu Dhabi PE photo)
The hybrid setup allowed all participants to engage in meaningful discussions as they prepare for the 2025 Overseas Voting Period. (Abu Dhabi PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.abudhabipe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinUAE/, https://twitter.com/PHinUAE or https://www.instagram.com/phinuae/.