Comelec targets 3 million registered overseas Filipinos for midterm polls

People line up as Comelec launches its Register Anywhere and the Special Register Anywhere Program at the Comelec Headquarters in Intramuros, Manila on February 12, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

People line up as Comelec launches its Register Anywhere and the Special Register Anywhere Program at the Comelec Headquarters in Intramuros, Manila on February 12, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — With only 40 percent of registered overseas Filipinos voting during the 2022 presidential elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) hopes the 2025 midterm elections will see a better voter turnout.

The Comelec signed a memorandum of agreement with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Rotary International District 3810, and the Associated Marine Officer’s and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines for an information campaign for overseas registration and voting.

According to Comelec chair George Garcia, they expect to register 3 million overseas voters for next year’s elections. 

In 2022, about 1.6 million overseas Filipinos were registered, which is relatively small given that there were 10 to 15 million overseas Filipinos at the time, according to Garcia. 

An even smaller number participated on Election Day, with only 600,000 casting their votes. 

"Magtataka ka bakit ganoon kababa," the poll chief said. "Siguro nga masyadong malayo ang embahada. Wala na silang time para umabsent sa kanilang opisina."

[You will wonder why the number was that low. Maybe the embassies are really far away. They did not have the chance to take time off of their work.]

Even votes that could have been sent through post were few.

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The Comelec hopes that internet voting will resolve the matter. 

The second round of bidding for the project will be held on April 2. If it pushes through, this will be the first time this kind of voting will be implemented for the Philippines. 

Asked if a new law is needed for this, as suggested by Sen. Koko Pimentel in a hearing last week, Garcia said they are allowed by the Overseas Voting Act to come up with different modes of voting. 

"Meron po kaming legal study at ito ay isang en banc reso (resolution) na. Pinag-aralan naming mabuti. ‘Yung batas hindi pino-prohibit ang COMELEC na mag-venture into other modes," Garcia said. 

[We have a legal study and an en banc resolution. We studied this carefully. The law does not prohibit Comelec from venturing into other modes.]

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