More overseas Filipino voters register for 2016 national elections, says DFA

MANILA — The number of overseas Filipino workers who have registered for the 2016 national elections is at a “record breaking pace,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

As of June 23, the DFA reported that the number of overseas voter registrants have reached 27,811.

The Overseas Absentee Voter (OAV) registration, in preparation for the 2016 Presidential elections, began last May 6.

“The preparations by the Department and the Commission on Elections led to a successful start for the registration process,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a letter.

“The challenge for OAV registration is to maintain the momentum by keeping the overseas Filipinos interested and engaged in this democratic process,” del Rosario further said.

By region, the DFA reported that the number of registrants from the Middle East and Africa reached 11,421, the Americas 7,277, the European Union 5,117, and Asia Pacific 3,996.

The top ten performers were Dubai (1,889), Los Angeles (1,794), Jeddah (1,746), Abu Dhabi (1,647), San Francisco (1,437), Riyadh (1,434), Kuwait (1,268), New York (1,198), Singapore (1,160), and London (1,010).

Under Republic Act 10590, known as The Overseas Voting Act of 2013, overseas Filipino voters, who are not disqualified by law and at least 18 years of age on the day of elections, may vote for President, Vice-President, Senators and Party-List Representatives, as well as in all national referenda and plebiscites.