Philippine Embassy conducts absentee voting program

(MENAFN- Arab News) The Philippine mission in the Saudi capital has successfully conducted its first overseas absentee voting (OAV) program for 2015 at the Al-Jazeera International School in Dammam on Jan. 9 and 10.A total of 409 new OAV registrations certifications and three other related services were facilitated by the OAV team out of the 679 consular applicants.The OAV registration was held as the OFWs benefited from consular services through the Embassy on Wheels (EOW).In a statement the embassy invited all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Kingdom to register as overseas absentee voters to exercise their right to suffrage.'This would enable OFWs to vote for positions of president vice president 12 members of the Senate and party-list sectoral representative during the national elections in 2016' the embassy said.Earlier it was reported that the Philippine government was considering to stopping overseas absentee voting because of the lukewarm attitude of OFWs towards it.'If this was true it's because of the big government expense in conducting it yet not so many qualified OFWs are interested in it' said Alex Bello one of the original convenors in the Saudi capital for the government to allow OFWs to vote. He said that under the Omnibus Code the government could stop OAV voting if OFWs lack enthusiasm regarding their right to vote.To ensure a greater OFW response the embassy now conducts registration through the 'Embassy on Wheels' program which delivers consular services at the same time.