On Sunday, April 10, nearly 1.6 million overseas Filipinos will begin voting for national candidates in the 2022 elections, a month before the May 9 polls. Filipinos abroad will elect their president, vice president, senators, and party-list groups during the month-long overseas election period.
Overseas Filipinos will vote in person at Philippine embassies, consulates, and other official polling venues, or by mail, depending on their host country’s specified voting method.
Keep checking back to this page for updates on the Philippines’ overseas voting for the 2022 elections from across the world.
Posts in Kenya and Russia expand the reach of consular missions to more voters in remote areas.
As the month-long abroad voting session neared its end, the Philippine embassies in Nairobi and Moscow dispatched consular missions to Filipinos residing in places far from their postings, making it simpler for them to exercise their right to vote.
The Philippine embassy in Nairobi, in collaboration with the Philippine honorary consulate in Kampala, made mobile voting services available to Filipinos living in Uganda. Meanwhile, the Philippine embassy in Moscow helped Filipinos in Vladivostok vote.
The number of Filipinos who voted in Uganda was not confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, May 4, 18 voters in Vladivostok received, completed, and submitted their votes at the consulate mission.
Vladivostok, a port city at Russia’s border with China and North Korea, is seven time zones apart from Moscow.
“We intend to strengthen our whole Filipino community in Russia, from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok,” Philippine Ambassador to Russia Igor Bailen remarked.
The Philippine consulate in Dubai provides a shuttle service for voters from the Northern Emirates.
From April 30 to May 1, over a hundred Filipino voters in the Northern Emirates of Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, and Ajman took use of a free shuttle service provided by the Philippine consulate general in Dubai, according to a press statement issued on Wednesday, May 4.
“We are aware that we have kababayans in the Northern Emirates who may have difficulties in voting in Dubai. Consul General Renato Dueas Jr. remarked, “We intend to support them in some way by offering a free shuttle service so they may come here and exercise their right to vote.”
Interested voters in the United Arab Emirates’ northern region filled out a pre-registration form to reserve a spot on the round-trip shuttle service.
The consulate collaborated with the Filipino Social Club and Sangguniang Masang Pilipino International, Incorporated as trip coordinators, ensuring that passengers were safely transported to and from their destinations.
The consulate said it was considering organizing further excursions for the final week of the month-long election campaign, which concludes on Monday, May 1. With almost 290,000 registered voters, the UAE is the most vote-rich country for the 2022 elections.
Philippine posts in US require antigen tests to enter polling area
Beginning Monday, May 2, vote watchers, accredited media, observers, and members of civil society organizations must pass quick antigen tests for COVID-19 before accessing the embassy’s polling and canvassing area, according to the Philippine embassy in Washington, DC.
This was done to “guarantee smooth and continuing electoral proceedings” until May 9, according to the embassy. Antigen testing will be provided by the embassy upon the arrival of the observers.
Negative antigen tests are also required by the Philippine consulate in New York. A poll watcher from a political party filed a protest with the embassy, challenging the need for the tests and claiming that the requirement is “onerous” because it may hinder observers’ participation.
The poll watcher also claimed that federal, state, and local health and safety procedures did not need negative tests for access to public services.
Comelec hopes to beat the 2016 foreign voter participation in the Philippines.
During the month-long overseas voting period leading up to the Philippines’ general elections on May 9, 2022, at least 385,435 Filipinos living outside the country, or roughly 23% of the 1.69 million voter population abroad, had already cast their ballots.
Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said in a press conference that the data as of Thursday, May 5, were preliminary because additional foreign service locations had not to report their latest voter turnout.
He voiced optimism, though, that the Philippines will beat the previous presidential election’s abroad voter turnout of 31%. The previous high was 64% in 2004, the first year the Philippines allowed Filipinos to vote from abroad.
“With this trajectory, we’re likely to outperform the 2016 voter turnout,” Casquejo said.
Absentee voting for almost 1.7 million abroad Filipinos begins on April 10th.
On April 10, over 1.7 million Filipino voters living abroad will begin voting in the May 2022 elections. According to data issued on Friday by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) – Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV), there are 1,697,215 registered Filipino voters globally.
Filipinos will vote in Philippine posts, embassies, and consulates in the countries and territories where they live or work. One president, one vice president, 12 senators, and one party-list group will be elected by overseas voters.
With 786,997 voters, the Middle East and Africa is the most popular region, followed by Asia Pacific with 450,282.
The Americas have a total of 306,445 registered voters, whereas Europe has 153,491 voters.
Until May 9, 92 Philippine posts will conduct overseas voting activities. An automatic election system and a manual voting system will be used for the posts.
Additionally, certain posts will use postal voting, as well as personal voting and blended voting techniques.
However, 127 registered voters in four Philippine posts will be unable to vote because the Comelec has ordered voting to be suspended in those areas.
These are located in the Philippine embassies in Baghdad, Tripoli, Islamabad, and Warsaw, which cover Iraq, Algeria, Chad, Tunisia, Libya, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.
Bottomline
Every official polling station for the election in each country has its own set of rules and regulations. It is believed that complications may arise during the voting process, and that there will also be an unavoidable absentee vote in the election.
