Philippine consulate to set up field voting for UAE's Filipinos

The Philippine Consulate officials in Dubai are bringing the Filipino overseas voting closer to their kababayans (compatriots) by setting up field voting at a hotel in Deira while members of the Filipino community in Al Ain are arranging free transportation for voters who will cast their votes at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi.  
According to Consul Ferdinand Flores, two polling precincts will be stationed at J5 Rimal Hotel (formerly Rimal Rotana) in Deira on Friday and Saturday (April 15-16) from 9am to 5pm "to encourage more Filipinos to vote especially those living in Al Rigga and Muraqqabat."
"The two areas are densely populated by Filipinos and this (field voting) will save them time and money instead of casting their votes at the Philippine Consulate in Al Ghusais," Flores added.  
Consular officials have been aggressively calling on their kababayans to take part in the elections which will run until May 9 to choose the next Philippine president, vice-president, 12 senators, and a sectoral or party-list representative.  
Dubai tops the list among the 85 Philippine missions worldwide with the most number of registered Filipino voters at 122,185.
More than 4,000 voters have already cast their votes since the start of the month-long Filipino overseas voting on Saturday.  
Timings
The Philippine Consulate in Dubai, which serves as the polling centre, is open daily from 8am to 9pm until May 8 and on May 9 (last day of the election) voting time is 5am to 1pm to coincide with the 5pm (Manila time) closing of polls in the Philippines.  
Flores said more field-voting precincts in Dubai will be opened after getting approval from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  
Transportation
Meanwhile, the civic group FilCom Al Ain will sponsor three 75-seater buses to provide free transportation to Filipinos living in Al Aim who would like to cast their votes on April 22 at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi.  
Those who would like to avail of the free bus service are advised to register at the FilCom AlAin offfice and look for Mr. Vic. They should check www.abudhabipe.dfa.gov.ph if they are on the certified list of voters.  
angel@khaleejtimes.com