Registration of oversees absentee voters seen to swell daily

By Gloria Jane Baylon

MANILA, July 5 (PNA)— The Department of Foreign Affairs Absentee Voting Secretariat (OAVS) expects the number of overseas prospective voters for the 2010 national elections to soar by a thousand daily as the August 31 registration deadline nears.

The number of newly registered overseas absentee voters stood at 121,641 as of July 3, compared with the 15,234 as of March 9 this year, the secretariat said.

Registration of oversees absentee voters runs from February to August 31 this year.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Sequis, chairman of the DFA's OAVS, said that four diplomatic regions and three Philippine-based registration centers recorded a total of 120,699 registrants as of Thursday.

Seguis attributed the hike in registration to a Filipino trait of normally acting fast as deadline nears. the registration period that started on February.

At least 90 diplomatic posts serve as registration centers in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East-Africa and Europe.

The Philippine centers are at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.

About 13 million Filipinos are working or living overseas. Hong Kong alone is home to at least 130,000 Filipinos.

Seguis urged about four million Filipino workers overseas, who are qualified “to make their vote count,” to register at overseas registration centers early.

The Philippine consulate-general (PCG) in Hong Kong remains the leader in delivering the highest registration with 11,536, the major bulk for China and the Asian-Pacific region.

Los Angeles PCG registered 7,343, accounting for U.S. dominance in the Americas and maintaining its regional second lead overall with 24,561 registered.

The Middle East-Africa and Europe came third and fourth placers, with 22,635 and 14,269 registered prospective voters, respectively.

By diplomatic posts, next to Hong Kong and Los Angeles, the rest in the top 10 include Dubai, with 6,503; Singapore, 5,303; London, 4,388; Toronto, 3,767; New York, 3,528; Riyadh, 3,407; Tokyo, 3,035; and Washington DC, 2,934.

Next to the U.S. and China, the rest of the top 10 leaders by country are: United Arab Emirates (8,664), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (6,781), Singapore (5,303), Canada (4,919), Taiwan (4,845), United Kingdom (4,388), Japan (4,183), and Italy (3,115). (PNA)