The confidence of Filipino voters in the overseas absentee voting exercises conducted abroad was clearly expressed during the first day of voting on 11 April 2004 by Saipan voters when they trooped to the Philippine Consulate General thirty (30) minutes before the voting place opened at 9 in the morning.  Other voting precincts abroad also registered early voters who exuded pride in being part of a historical milestone.

“As reported by our missions worldwide, a sense of national pride pervaded in the faces of the Filipino voters”, Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert declared as she beamed with an equal pride for the confidence shown by overseas Filipinos.  “We have come a long way but our sincere efforts in the preparation are paying off.  I also commend our compatriots for their participation,” she added.

As the first  Filipino to vote in Brazil, Luisa Angela Garcia de Moraes, a 43-year old permanent resident of Brazil expressed hope that her action would make a difference in the future of the Philippines and her children.

Considering the fact that the voting period for the land-based Filipinos overseas runs for a month until May 10, 2004, those who cast their votes for the first two days already number 23,000 worldwide.

In Beijing, CNN Beijing Bureau Chief Jaime Flor Cruz and his wife Ana were the first overseas absentee voters at the Philippine Embassy in Beijing.  For the couple, it was the first time to participate in Philippine elections after almost 33 years in China after he was forced into exile in 1972.

In Europe, Elenita Maglaqui Navarro, a lady pastor of the Missions Evangelica Filipina (MEF), traveled by car for about an hour and a half from Pisa to cast her vote at the Philippine Embassy in Rome.  She wanted to be a part of the ongoing effort to build a strong country.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert further expressed hope that the enthusiasm remain high and  the clean and orderly electoral process could be sustained. END