19 February 2004 - Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Rafael E. Seguis announced Thursday the posting of the Certified List of Overseas Absentee Voters on the COMELEC and DFA websites, as Philippine embassies and consulates gear up for the commencement of the voting period.

Acting Secretary Seguis said that “The Department, through its men and women who are at the locus of overseas absentee voting, is ready to carry out its mandate of helping the Commission on Elections implement the final stage of the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) Act of 2003.”

“We welcome this historic opportunity to take part in this upcoming political exercise, fully cognizant of its importance to our nation’s future and our role in ensuring the integrity of the overseas absentee voting process, ” the Acting Secretary said.  He further added that the manner by which the DFA will help carry out the conduct of overseas absentee voting for the first time in our history, will help define the people’s faith in the country’s electoral process.

As part of the preparations for the commencement of the voting period, the DFA and the COMELEC have completed the training of 396 foreign service personnel and Filipino community members who will assist in the conduct of overseas absentee voting. A total of 2,733 foreign service personnel and Filipino community members based overseas will be deputized by COMELEC to perform overseas absentee voting election duties.

The initial set of ballot boxes has already been sent by COMELEC to the Philippine Embassies and Consulates early this week.  Ballots for purposes of overseas absentee voting have already been printed and packed. These, and other election paraphernalia, are expected to be shipped from Manila within the week. The Philippine Embassies and Consulates are expected to receive the first tranche of election materials no later than the third week of February.

As provided for in the OAV Act of 2003, land-based voters shall cast their votes at any time within the 30-day period from April 11, 2004 (local time) up to May 10, 2004 (Philippine time), whereas seafarers shall cast their votes within 60 days starting March 12, 2004 until 10 May 2004. – END