MANILA, Philippines—An additional 8,664 Filipinos worldwide have registered as overseas absentee voters (OAVs), bringing to 32,357 the total number of OAVs during the past four and a half months, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
In a report posted on its website on Sunday, the DFA said Philippine nationals based in Los Angeles, California, topped the list of OAV registrants with 2,867, followed by those in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1,964; Singapore, 1,809; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1,723; Milan, Italy, 1,650; Hong Kong, 1,609; London, 1,535; San Francisco, California, 1,325; Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 1,251; and Toronto, Canada, 1,125.
Rounding out the top 20 places were Macau, 924; Manama, Bahrain, 921; Rome, Italy, 892; Beirut, Lebanon, 865; Chicago, Illinois, 806; Barcelona, Spain, 794; Washington, DC, 784; Honolulu, Hawaii, 739; New York, 608; and Vancouver, Canada, 567.
Last month, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario directed the country’s 67 embassies and 23 consulates worldwide to intensify further their respective OAV registration programs.
The 12-month OAV registration, which started on Oct. 13, 2011, runs until Oct. 31 this year.