27 February 2004 - Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert said today that the Philippine Embassy
in Washington is all set to implement Republic Act No. 9189, otherwise known as the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003, in their jurisdiction as they call on all Filipinos who are registered overseas absentee voters with approved application to vote to participate in the upcoming polls.  Overseas absentee voters may vote for President, Vice-President, Senators and Party-List Representatives starting 12 March  2004 to 10 May 2004.

“I am glad that after the long wait, our overseas Filipino workers in the United States can now practice their right to vote which is a very important component of democracy in building a strong republic,” Secretary Albert said in a statement.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Albert del Rosario for his part said that all Embassy officers and staff
are prepared to administer the OFWs when they troop in to the Embassy during the election period. “Our
Embassy personnel have been properly trained to handle this first ever overseas absentee voting to ensure the integrity of the votes of Filipino absentee voters,” he said.

Overseas Absentee Voting will be held at the Philippine Embassy in Washington for seafarers from 12 March 10 May 2004 and for land based Filipino migrants from 11 April to 10 May 2004.  Voting will be conducted everyday from 9:30 to 5:30p.m., during the days indicated, except on 8 and 9 April, or Holy Thursday and Good Friday, when voting  will be suspended. Voting hours on 09 May will be from 9:30 to midnight and will continue until 3:00 a.m. on the following day, 10 May.

Ambassador del Rosario also made the following announcements:

All Filipinos who registered between August and September 2003 as overseas absentee voters at the
Embassy of the Philippines, in Washington D.C. or who indicated the Embassy as their voting address, are
invited to check the Certified List of Absentee Voters to determine if their applications were approved by
COMELEC and if they will be allowed to vote in this year’s national election. The COMELEC website address
is as follows: http://www.comelec.gov.ph/announce/OAVlist.

Inquiries regarding the Certified List of Absentee
Voters may be directed to:

       Hon. Florentino A. Tuason , Jr.
       Chairman, Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting

       Commission on Elections
       Intramuros, Manila
       E-mail:         com_tuason@comelec.gov.ph
       Tel. No.        00-632-527-5576
                            00-632-522-2251
                            00-632-527-0723
       Fax No.       00-632-527-0829
                            00-632-523-9924

At 9:15 a.m. every voting day, registered watchers of the different political parties and the public are welcome to witness the opening of the polling place at the following address:

                            Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines
                           1600 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
                            Washington, D.C. 20036
                            Tel. No. 202-293-5020 (OAV Direct Line)