Filipino in Papua New Guinea is first to register as potential absentee voter

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople described the month-long registration for overseas Filipino voters as off to a good start with the Philippine Embassy in Papua New Guinea having the distinction of welcoming the first Filipino applicant who came in to register at the embassy in Port Moresby at exactly 8 o’clock in the morning.

Secretary Ople identified the first registrant as Generoso Olaes Cabael, 59 years old. Mr. Cabael has been working in Port Moresby for the past 23 years as a Mechanical Service Manager in an engineering company. Ople said the Department is still gathering data on how many Filipinos registered in the 84 registration centers located throughout the world on the first day of the absentee voting registration period.

The 81 foreign posts made use of the Comelec data capturing machines, which enabled the embassies and consulates to electronically verify and store the passport data submitted by OFWs. This data will be transmitted to the Comelec for processing.  

“We expect a heavier turn-out this weekend and all succeeding weekends because our potential Filipino registrants are usually free during these days,” Secretary Ople said.

He added that the embassies and consulates have organized a 7-day workweek to enable the staff to receive registrants. The DFA has formed an Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat (OAVS) to support the operations of its posts during the registration of voters’ up to the post-election day period.

The Foreign Affairs Secretary stressed the commitment of the DFA in supporting the Commission on Election’s objective of having clean and honest elections in 2004.