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Comelec seeks increase in number of Hong Kong polling precincts

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<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1994839" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>MANILA (UPDATE) - The Commission on Elections en banc will seek to increase the number of polling precincts in Hong Kong following the high turnout of voters over the weekend, an official said Monday.The Comelec&#x27;s post in Hong Kong was given the discretion whether to increase the number of precincts and chose to establish only five, according to commissioner George Garcia.&quot;By tomorrow we’ll have our en banc meeting and surely it will be discussed and we’ll push for an increase in the number of precincts in order to allow more Filipino voters to vote,&quot; he told ANC&#x27;s Headstart.&quot;And number 2 not offend the sensitivities of Hong Kong authorities especially since we&#x27;re fully aware of the COVID situation in the territory. That&#x27;s why hopefully we&#x27;ll be able to increase by 8 or even by 10 the number of precincts available in Hong Kong.&quot;Meantime, the packets for mail-in voting will &quot;be received by today or tomorrow,&quot; Garcia said.&quot;We still have until the 15th of April for them to return the packets of the ballots to the post,&quot; he said.Overseas Filipinos have 29 more days before voting closes and the period can be extended until May 9, Garcia added.&quot;We are given flexibility by law. We’re affording the (overseas) Filipinos 1 month to vote. Hopefully after the initial rundown, maayos na po natin sa susunod na araw (we&#x27;ll be able to fix it in the coming days),&quot; he said.There are some 1.697 million overseas Filipino voters and the Comelec has 92 posts abroad, half of which run automated election systems with the other half conducting mail-in voting, according to Garcia.&quot;We’re encouraged by these number of Filipinos who wanted to vote...We’re hoping at least 80 to 90 percent will be voting,&quot; he said.Overseas Filipinos can also avail of the &quot;vote anywhere&quot; scheme where they can &quot;accomplish a form, an undertaking, and state a reason why they cannot vote in their post,&quot; Garcia said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/06/22/comelec-to-implement-vote-anywhere-scheme-of-filipinos-abroad">Comelec to implement &#x27;vote anywhere&#x27; scheme of Filipinos abroad</a></li></ul>Meanwhile, Sen. Imee Marcos called for an extension of voting hours at embassies and consulates to ensure that overseas Filipinos can vote.She said the reported early setbacks might be replicated in other areas that host large populations of overseas Filipinos.“Let’s not wait for a last-minute scramble to implement remedies. Thousands of OFWs will end up being disenfranchised,” said Marcos, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms. &quot;The immediate solution is to extend voting hours at our embassies and consulates, while the logistical challenges of setting up more voting precincts still have to be sorted out by the Comelec (Commission on Elections),&quot; she said in a statement.

The Commission on Elections will seek to increase the number of polling precincts in Hong Kong following the high turnout of voters over the weekend.