DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
P R E S S  R E L E A S E
www.dfa.gov.ph                                                                                           2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines                                                                                 Tel. No. 834-4000 
SFA-AGR-749-06                                                                                                                                                                                                                             06 September 2006

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN OTTAWA STEPS UP EFFORTS TO REGISTER MORE OVERSEAS ABSENTEE VOTERS

6 September 2006 – The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that it has redoubled its efforts to encourage more qualified Filipinos in Canada to register to vote in the 14 May 2007 elections.

“The Philippine Embassy is constantly thinking of ways to make OAV registration as convenient as possible, cognizant of the constraints potential OAV registrants  face  in terms of  time and distance from the Embassy,” Ambassador Jose S. Brillantes said, as he hailed the Commission on Elections’ move to extend the OAV registration deadline to September 30, 2006.

The Ambassador has also mobilized leaders of the Filipino community in Ottawa to help in the Embassy’s information campaign to encourage more overseas Filipinos who are qualified to vote, to register.

“Plans are afoot for the Tinig Pinoy, a widely followed radio program among the Filipino community in Canada’s National Capital Region (NCR), in partnership with Pinoy Eh!, a widely circulated Filcom newspaper, to lead information dissemination efforts,” Ambassador Brillantes said.

In response to the clamor among potential registrants in the Filipino community, the Embassy is teaming up with Tinig Pinoy and Pinoy Eh, in coordination with leaders of various Filipino community organizations in the NCR, to conduct OAV registration on weekends to accommodate those who work from Monday to Friday and have no time to go to the Embassy during weekdays to register.

The Embassy’s OAV team, led by Consul General Joseph Gerard B. Angeles, is also gearing up for another field registration in Montreal on Sunday, 17 September 2006, to accommodate last-minute registrants in Montreal and suburbs, as well as other parts of Quebec province.

“As part of our vigorous efforts to encourage qualified Filipinos in the NCR to register to enable them to vote in Philippine elections, the Embassy’s OAV team is also doing the rounds of various media outlets to appeal to the Filipino community to avail themselves of the opportunity to participate in Philippine political life through elections,” the Ambassador stated.  END


 

/epa