DFA: Overseas voter registration breaches 1M mark

MANILA – For the first time, the overseas voter registration (OVR) has breached the 1 million mark for the upcoming 2016 presidential elections, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The DFA said its Foreign Service Posts have processed 20,039 new overseas voter registrants during the second month of OVR in June.This is a 7.5% increase over the record breaking performance (18,631) of last May, bringing the two month total to 38,670.

"When added to the existing accumulated overseas voter stock of 975,263 the one million registered overseas voters mark is broken by the total of 1,013,933," the DFA said.

Last month, the first Overseas Voter Registration Center (OVRC) in the Philippines was also opened at the Office of Consular Affairs (OCA), Macapagal Avenue, ASEANA Business Park. OFWs, immigrants, and seafarers who are about to leave for abroad, and who are not yet registered as overseas voter, may now register at the newly launched facility in the Department of Foreign Affairs-OCA.

In addition, if said registrants need to renew their passports, they no longer have to set an appointment to apply for renewal. Their Overseas Voter Registration stub will allow them access to the Passport Division's Courtesy Lane.

"At the current pace of registration, we could have an overseas voter stock of over two million for the 2016 Presidential elections. Attaining this goal can definitely be a game changer," Office of Civil Security and Consular Concerns Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, who is concurrently Chairman of DFA-OVS, said.

All Filipino citizens who expect to be abroad during the 30 day (09 April - 09 May 2016) overseas voting period for the 2016 Presidential Elections, at least 18 years old on 09 May 2016, and not otherwise disqualified by law, may register as an overseas voter, at all Philippine Foreign Service Posts including the three Manila Economic and Cultural Offices (MECO), Office of Consular Affairs, Macapagal Ave., ASEANA Business Park, and at other COMELEC approved registration centers outside of the FSPs or in the Philippines.

The voter registration period will last until October 31, 2015.