MANILA, 12 October — Filipino immigrants will no longer be required to sign a formal pledge signifying their intention to return and resettle in the Philippines as a precondition to their right to vote, Sen. Edgardo Angara said.
Angara said he made sure that this was removed from the Absentee Voting Bill passed on second reading by the Senate early this week.
He explained that it was removed because the immigrants and green card holders said this might jeopardize their immigrant status.
The original version of the measure required Filipino immigrants to sign an “Intent to Return and Retain Filipino Citizenship” in order to register and vote during Philippine elections.
Most of the senators agreed with Angara that the immigrants who would register and subsequently vote are still imbued with a sense of country and intend to return.
“This was the particular spirit when we dropped the provision,” said Angara, chairman of the senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws and electoral reforms.
Angara said that the provision for onsite counting and canvassing of votes was most requested by overseas Filipinos during a consultation headed by Angara a few months back.
Since this was most dominant request overseas Filipinos, he said, it is included in the bill passed on second reading on Wednesday. The third reading will merely be a formality and is scheduled later this month.
Overseas Filipinos had said that this onsite counting and canvassing would make sure that their votes are not waylaid on the way to the Philippines for counting and canvassing.
