Dubai Philippine consulate officials foil 'flying voter' attempt

Dubai - Man tries to vote twice; authorities warn against spreading rumours

Philippine consulate officials in Dubai foiled an attempt by a "flying voter" to cast a second ballot in the month-long Filipino overseas voting which started on Saturday. According to Philippine Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes, a certain J.S. first cast his vote inside the consulate premises on Sunday morning and an hour later he went to another poll centre at the adjacent Philippine Overseas Labour Office office to cast another vote.
Upon verification, J.S. was informed by poll officials about the matter but he denied casting his vote earlier that day. J.S. hurriedly left the polling precinct before he could be presented with a copy of the certified list of overseas voters bearing his name picture and signature proving he had already cast his vote, Cortes said.
The Philippine official said: "I wish to remind all my kababayans (compatriots) in Dubai and the Northern Emirates that voting more than once in any Philippine election is a criminal offence punishable under our pertinent laws."
"Any overseas voter who will attempt to do it may face arrest and other penalties upon their return to the Philippines.
"Flying voters (a common Filipino derogatory term for voters who vote more than once) negate the gains we have achieved. I encourage all Filipinos to practise what we all clamour for to ensure the moral rectitude of these elections as we continue to build a truly democratic Philippines," Cortes underlined.
Cortes also warned Filipino expats against spreading rumours of rigging of votes.
"I have read many Facebook posts and comments referring to the possible rigging of the results of the elections. Some have even called for boycotting the elections because they have already categorised whole exercise as tainted," said Cortes.
"There is a UAE cyber law that penalises spreading rumours or any malicious comments about anything, any person, any government, whether they be in the UAE or outside. The law applies to anybody who uses a computer inside this country," added Cortes.
Similarly, Nhel Morona of Migrante-UAE, a poll watchdog, called on individuals to file formal complaints if they find any electoral irregularities. Morona said to file a formal and immediate complaint to any poll official or member of the Special Board of Election Inspetors (SBEI).
"Take not of the precinct number and execute an affidavit of discrepancy and have it duly notarised at the Philippine Consulate in Dubai or Embassy in Abu Dhabi," Morona said.
Migrante has set up a help desk and provided the following hotline numbers: 0559808489; 0555440886; 0505484035.
Philippine missions in the UAE are open daily from 8am-5pm in Abu Dhabi and 8am-9pm in Dubai until May 8 for the Filipino overseas voting. Both offices are open on May 9 (last day of the elections) from 5am to 1pm to coincide with the 5PM closing of polls in the Philippines.
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