ALKHOBAR, 25 March 2004 — Filipinos in the Eastern Province who have registered for the Philippine’s first overseas absentee voting exercise may now come and get their voter IDs.

Labor Attaché Delmer Cruz said the ID cards will be released starting today at the International Philippines School in Alkhobar, which is being used by the embassy in Riyadh as its extension office for absentee voting-related activities.

Cruz has organized the Overseas Absentee Voting Steering Committee to help prepare for the voting, which will begin on April 11 for land-based OFWs.

The committee will be on duty from 1-7 p.m. during weekdays, and from 9 a. m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays until the last day of voting. Voting ends on May 10, the election day in the Philippines.

Because of the nature of their job, Filipino seafarers have been allowed to begin voting on March 11.

To claim the ID, the registered voter has to present a registration acknowledgement receipt, or any other valid documents such as an Iqama or a driver’s license.

Voter’s IDs are to be released only to the registered OFW, but those who cannot show up at the secretariat officer personally may issue to a duly-authorized representative a “Special Power of Attorney” notarized at the consular section of the embassy, Cruz said.

Holders of absentee voter IDs are not supposed to correct, add or remove anything even if they find errors or omissions in their IDs, said Cruz.

Doing so could lead to the invalidation of their ID and their disqualification from voting, he added.

So as not to waste time and effort, Cruz said, those who have registered may first call the committee secretariat’s office at 03-8991487 or 03-8895805 to check whether their IDs are available.

The Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) has also posted the list of registered overseas voters in the Internet.

For those who have registered in Riyadh and Alkhobar, the list is at http://www.comelec.gov.ph/announce/oavlist/ksa_riyadh.html.

For those registered in Jeddah, the list is at http://www.comelec.gov.ph/announce/oavlist/ksa_jeddah.html.

Of the 364,187 overseas Filipinos who listed up as absentee voters during August-September 2003 registration period, some 2,500 might not be able to cast their ballots, according to the OAV secretariat of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila.

This was because the election registration boards failed to return their applications to the DFA their applications that would have listed them as voters, said secretariat vice chair Catherine Maceda.

Apparently sharing the frustration of OFW advocates, Maceda said: “We have impressed upon the ERBs that these overseas Filipinos registered either at great risk or at great cost.”

There were originally 3,000 missing OAV registrations but 500 were submitted by some ERBs over the weekend, she added.

Maceda said the Comelec approved the application of 357,187 OAV registrants, disapproved 256 for having “unverifiable residences” in the Philippines, and disapproved another 329 for having dual citizenships without an established residence in the country. (Additional input from Inquirer News Service)