Philippine Consulate General, Dubai Ready for Overseas Absentee Voting

26 April 2007 — Consul General Antonio S. Curameng of the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai , United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Consulate is ready for the expected influx of Overseas Absentee Voters for the 2007 Senatorial and Party-List Elections after employing numerous means to encourage voters to participate in the electoral process.

Consul General Curameng said that prior to the election period, the Consulate had regularly included Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) in the agenda of its regular mont hly meetings with the Filipino Community leaders in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.  During the meeting, Consulate representatives regularly emphasized the importance of the election and asked the leaders to disseminate the information to their members.  Special meetings about the OAV with various Filipino groups were also called.

Another means by which the OAV process is promoted is when Consulate officials are invited to Filipino gath erings and media programs, one of which is the weekly radio program Itanong mo kay Ambassador, which is aired live throughout the whole UAE.  The Consulate also utilized the television program “The Global Post,” which ran a mont h-long feature on the OAV.

Consul General Curameng also said that the Consulate regularly issued press releases to local media, and posted copies of their releases in areas of the Consulate most frequented by Filipino voters, such as the Consular Section.  The Consul General added that consular officers remind passport applicants and other Filipinos who visit the Consulate for consular services to first cast their ballots before they apply for passports or other services.

The Consul General has also written companies that employ large numbers of Filipinos requesting the employers to allow their Filipino workers to exercise their right to vote.

On the first day of voting, the Consulate invited various Dubai - based Filipino and foreign media practitioners to witness the conduct of the OAV.  They were shown the process not only for the information of Filipinos but also to show other people Philippine elections as a manifestation of the robust democracy in the Philippines .  END

/jay

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