Give them something to remember us by. This was the strategy announced today by Commissioner Lucenito Tagle, Chairman of the Commission on Elections’ Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting, or COAV.
According to Tagle, all outbound Filipinos – whether overseas Filipino workers or otherwise – inevitably end up at the immigration desk. This indispensable stop on the Filipino’s departure from the Philippines thus becomes the ideal place for delivering information about the ongoing Overseas Absentee Voter registration process, Tagle explained.
“The COAV, in close partnership with the Bureau of Immigration, will be giving departing Filipinos, bound for abroad, flyers that remind them to register as overseas absentee voters,” Tagle said. This will increase awareness among Filipinos about the possibility of voting in National Elections even while they abroad.
“If they know they can vote, then they will be interested to find out how and where to register,” Tagle added.
According to Mr. Benito G. Se, Acting Chief of the Bureau of Immigration, Airport Operations Division, the flyers will be distributed by Immigration Officers who will insert them into the passports of outgoing passengers.
The flyers will be initially distributed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, beginning July 30, 2012. Distribution of flyers at other international airports are scheduled to begin in August. The registration period for Overseas Absentee Voting will end on October 31, 2012.
It is estimated that 4,500 overseas Filipino workers depart from the Philippines daily.
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