15 April 2016 – In the lead-up to the start of voting for overseas Filipino voters for the 2016 national elections, the Philippine Consulate General in New York conducted a “Know Your Candidates” forum and a town hall meeting as part of its voter education series. 

Last March 30, the Consulate General partnered with the Filipino-American Press Club of New York for a kapihan forum at the Philippine Center’s Kalayaan Hall where the community learned about the platforms of the different candidates running for president.

With the Kalayaan Hall fully packed with community members and political partisans, the event consisted of a presentation of short videos where the contenders announced their plans and asked for support from voters, and a panel discussion where official representatives of the candidates answered questions from the Press Club members and the enthusiastic audience. Throughout the more than two hours of discussion, the representatives did their best to expound on what their candidates could and would do to ensure good governance for the next presidential term of six years.

On April 05, the Consulate General hosted its third Voters Education event, a town hall meeting on the topic of “How to Cast Your Vote”. The discussion centered on the details and mechanics of voting for the upcoming elections under the Automated Election System (AES) to be implemented through a mix of personal and postal voting. The Consulate General also informed the community that it will mail out the almost 26,000 ballots meant for the voters under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in New York, and that the Consulate General will be open every day from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, during the length of the voting period to receive ballots from the voting public.

During the meeting, the Consulate General also appealed to the Filipinos present to spread the word about the elections which will conclude on May 09 at 5:00 PM (Philippine time).   

In all, the Consulate General has held three Voters Education event with the first one held in Jersey City, New Jersey on February 27. END