26 March 2004 - As the overseas absentee voting for seafarers marks its second week of implementation, a total of sixteen Philippine embassies and consulates, including the Philippine Labor Office in Macau, have reported administering ballots to Filipino seafarers in their respective areas of jurisdiction.  These Posts include those in Bangkok, Brunei, Hongkong, Koror, Phnom Penh, Port Moresby, and Singapore in Asia Pacific; Chicago and Saipan in North America; Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut and Tripoli in the Middle East; and Athens, Berlin, and Hamburg in Europe.  To date, a total of 88 seafarers have voted in these Posts.

Posts have reported adjusting and extending their polling hours in order to accommodate the requests of Filipino seafarers who can only cast their votes for a very limited period of time, given the distance of the ports to the Philippine embassies and consulates, and the schedule of their ships.

To date, all Posts have reported receipt of ballot boxes, ballots, election materials and paraphernalia. Comelec has been given a consolidated report on the inventory conducted by the Posts on these election materials. Request for supplemental shipment of ballots has been made for Posts that have noted deficiency in the delivery.  Polling precincts within the Posts’ premises and other designated areas approved by Comelec have been established. Subject to approval of host governments, venues that will be used as field and satellite voting precincts are being prepared in accordance with Comelec-prescribed guidelines. Arrangements concerning polling venues, security and public order have been finalized in almost all areas.  Following Secretary Albert’s successful visit to Vietnam in the first week of March, the Vietnamese Government granted the use of one government guest house in Ho Chi Minh City as venue for the conduct of overseas absentee voting.  Said facility was visited and inspected by the Secretary during her brief stay in said city.

To date, more than two thousand members of the various electoral bodies have been appointed by Comelec.  In this connection, Secretary Delia Domingo Albert exhorted the men and women of the Foreign Service Posts “to ensure the integrity and credibility of the voting process”, as she reminded the members of the various electoral bodies to “observe attention to details, diligence and transparency in the exercise of their functions”. The Secretary  emphasized that “it is important that the letter and spirit of the law and rules are strictly observed in all aspects of OAV implementation”.

Under the OAV Act of 2003, seafarers have until 10 May 2004 to cast their votes, while land-based voters will start voting at any time within the 30-day period from April 11, 2004  up to May 10, 2004.  - END