MANILA, Philippines – As of Thursday, the total number of new overseas absentee voters (OAVs) have reached 205, 321, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
“During the last DFA anniversary, Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario announced that the absentee voting registration was on-going and that we reached a total registration of close to 800,000 and that because of this we are cautiously optimistic that we will reach the goal of 1 million registered voters for the national elections for May 2013,” DFA Undersecretary Jose Brillantes, also chairman of the Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat, said in an interview.
Based on the latest statistics, the Philippines’ embassies and consulates abroad accounted for 105, 912 new OAVs. The largest number of Filipino registrants were accounted for in Dubai, with 11, 396, followed by those in Los Angeles with 8,959. Milan, 6,260; Riyadh 6, 151; Hong Kong, 5, 958; San Francisco, 5,636; Singapore, 5, 042; Tel Aviv, 4, 495; Rome, 4,134; Kuwait, 4, 104.
Meanwhile, local registrations accounted for 99, 409 of the new OAVs. Local registrations centers were set up at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminals 1 and 2, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Commission on Filipinos Overseas and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
The 12-month OAV registration, which began on Oct. 31 last year, runs until Oct. 31 this year. Less than three more months remain for other overseas Filipinos to register.