Voter registration for OFWs begins

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can now register before leaving the country and participate in the next national elections even while they are abroad.

Registration for departing OFW voters will start today, according to Kabaitan Guinhawa Valmonte, head of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) committee on overseas voting.

Valmonte said the new registration center located at the ground floor of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) building in Pasig City will start operations today.

Comelec-POEA and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) agreed to set up the registration center at the POEA to encourage more OFWs to register and take part in the next electoral exercise in 2007.

"Instead of registering at the Philippine embassy or consulate of the country where they will eventually be deployed, OFWs can register now before leaving the country," Valmonte pointed out.

The poll official said the Comelec is expecting a surge in the number of overseas absentee registrants given that there are almost 2,500 walk-in clients of the POEA daily.

Continuing registration for overseas absentee voters in various embassies abroad started last Oct. 1 until October next year.

However, there were reports that most Philippine embassies abroad have recorded very low registrants so far.

The Comelec earlier opted to relax its regulations on absentee voting to encourage more Filipino immigrants and overseas workers to participate in the 2007 national elections.

Comelec Commissioner Florentino Tuason said that unlike in past elections, the poll body would no longer require Filipino workers to register in their local municipalities.

He said a centralized election registration board would be set up right at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila so it would be easier for OFWs to register. Comelec would also be expanding areas where voting by mail would be allowed. — Mayen Jaymalin