Comelec, DFA see 50 percent overseas voter turnout

MANILA, Philippines - An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said the poll body is expecting about 50 percent turnout in the overseas absentee voting (OAV) because the position of president is up for grabs.

Comelec Commissioner Armando Velasco, committee of OAV chairman, said that based on the turnout of the first two OAVs, it appeared that a majority of Filipinos abroad would want to have a say on who should be the country’s next leader.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis, who is also chairman of the OAV Secretariat, said they do not foresee any major problems except in the address of the voters aboard.

“In the past, there were return votes because we could not find their addresses,” Seguis said.

Velasco said there are 589,830 registered voters under the OAV, 138,113 of whom are postal voters and 451,717 personal voters.

Seguis said they have identified 49 foreign posts for voting by mail and about 40 foreign posts for personal votes. A foreign post includes consulates and embassies.

The Comelec has allocated one month, from April 10 to May 10, for overseas absentee voting and the counting would be done simultaneously with the vote in the Philippines.

The counting of votes would be done in the foreign posts, but canvassing would be in the Philippines.     — Evelyn Macairan, Sheila Crisostomo