18,000 absentee voters register ahead of 2016 polls–DFA

Department of Foreign Affairs building INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) processed a record number of absentee voters in the first month of the overseas voting registration (OVR) for the 2016 presidential elections.

“Philippine Embassies and consulates processed a total of 18,631 new overseas registered voters,” DFA spokesman Charles Jose said in a press conference Friday.

“The figure is 111 percent higher than the OVR for the 2013 senatorial elections and 64 percent higher than the 2010 presidential elections,” he said.

The registration for overseas voting is being done by all 84 foreign service posts of the DFA all over the world.

Registration will last until Oct. 31, 2015.

The Overseas Absentee Voting Act was passed in 2013 and was first implemented during the 2007 senatorial elections.

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