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Voting rights to benefit Filipino expatriates

DUBAI - Filipinos in the UAE who are 18-year-old and above will now be able to vote for president, vice-president, senators and party representatives in the 2004 national elections under Republic Act 9189 or the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003, which was signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Manila yesterday.

The much-awaited move was ratified by the House of Representatives on Tuesday, one week after it was approved by the bicameral conference committee and the Senate.

It may be recalled that a consultative meeting on absentee voting with the Filipino community in the UAE was conducted by a delegation headed by Senator Edgardo Angara in Dubai on March 14 last year. Similar meetings were held in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Riyadh, Rome, New York and Los Angeles.

Speaking to Khaleej Times yesterday, Senator Angara said: "This is a triumph for all Filipinos. The new law will boost our democracy by allowing the millions of overseas Filipinos to vote in the 2004 elections."

Meanwhile, Jose Arthur Ampeso, Charge d'Affaires and Consul-General at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi told Khaleej Times: "We in the Embassy reaffirm our faith in the ultimate ability of the millions of Filipinos abroad who have been empowered and enfranchised by this act, to contribute to nation-building. It is most challenging as far as the embassy is concerned to see to it that at the end of the day, the Filipino voter abroad can make an honest decision and be made responsible to his motherland."

According to Senator Angara, about 3.5 million Filipinos abroad will qualify and will be eligible to vote. These include two million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), less than two million permanent residents or immigrants who intend to return to the Philippines and more than half a million undocumented Filipinos whose passports have expired and may not have working permits in their host countries.

According to the new voting law, Filipino immigrants can vote provided they affirm, through an affidavit, their intention to return to the country within three years after they register as voters; and Filipinos in Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada can vote by mail. Registration shall be done in person and that documents other than passports may be used in registering as a voter, provided that some mandatory information and personal details are acceptable.