JEDDAH, 11 December 2002 — A dialogue on the proposed law allowing overseas Filipinos to vote in Philippine national elections will be held at the Philippine Consulate General here today.
A press statement by the consulate yesterday said the dialogue, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., is open to members of the Filipino community.
To acquaint community members on the salient provisions of the proposed law is Rep. Benasing O. Macarambon, Jr. of Lanao del Sur province, a senior member of the House of Representatives and its committee on foreign affairs.
Another resource person, Undersecretary Omera D. Lucman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), will talk on social welfare services for OFWs, according to the press statement.
The general idea of the measure is to allow Filipinos abroad who have not renounced their citizenship and not otherwise disqualified by law, to participate in Philippine national elections, starting with the upcoming presidential elections in 2004.
As proposed, those qualified and registered absentee voters could cast their votes through the Philippine embassies and consulates around the world.
Under the Senate version, the absentee voting measure would apply to the election for president, vice president, senators, party-list representatives, and referenda and plebiscites.
The House of Representatives version does not include the election for senators and party-list representatives.
A joint conference committee of the two legislative bodies are now reconciling the differences in the versions they have passed.
A reconciled version will have to be ratified in the plenary sessions of both chambers before it is signed by the president into law.