Comelec to delist 230,000 OFW voters

Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday announced that it will  proceed with removing more than 230,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the official voters list for failing to notify the commission of their intent to vote on May 13.

Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. disclosed that out of the 238,557 OFWs who were given the last chance last month to be retained in the National Registry of Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV), only 29 responded to the election body’s call.

Under the law, a registered OAV will have to be dropped from the Comelec list if he or she had failed to vote in two consecutive national elections.

In its bid to meet its target of one million Filipino absentee voters for the May 13 balloting, the en banc decided to give the more than 230,000 OFWs a chance to sign up until Dec. 21 last month.