Registration for overseas voters to start in December

However, Guanzon did not release additional details regarding the forthcoming resumption of registration for overseas voters. (File Photo: jon mannion/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday announced that the registration period for Filipino citizens overseas for the May 2022 presidential polls will begin next month.

“Preparation meeting of training team leaders and IT guys now ongoing for training of DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) officers on registration of overseas voters starting December 16 to September 30, 2021,” said Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon, Commissioner-in-Charge for the Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV), in her Twitter account, @commrguanzon.

However, Guanzon did not release additional details regarding the forthcoming resumption of registration for overseas voters.

The law states that all citizens of the Philippines, who are abroad or will be abroad during the 30-day voting period, at least 18 years of age on the day of the elections, and not otherwise disqualified by law, may register.

In the May 2019 polls, the total number of registered overseas voters was at 1,822,173.

On the other hand, Guanzon said they are also planning to adopt a “vote anywhere policy” for all overseas voters, wherein they will be allowed to vote in any Philippine post abroad.

“If you are registered in Jordan but on Election Day you will be in the US, you can vote in the US,” she said.

At present, only sea-based voters are allowed to vote in any Philippine post where they will be docked.

For land-based workers, they are allowed to cast their ballots in the Philippine post in the country where they are based.