MANILA, 17 April 2007 — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday acknowledged that the requirements of the law are the main reason for the low registration turnout for overseas absentee voting.

However, Arroyo also said the turnout was low in 2004, for the same reasons.

“Actually, even the last time it was low turnout, because there are conditions that make it difficult for overseas workers, especially in America. The (requirement to put in writing the) intention to come back to the Philippines and live here permanently is what makes it difficult for them,” she said in a pooled media interview.

But Arroyo added that what is important is that overseas Filipino are given the right to vote.

“It is really up to them to exercise it but, really, even the last time, turnout was low,” she said.

A little over 504,000 are registered as absentee voters this year. As of 3 p.m. Sunday, a total of 736 Filipinos overseas had cast their votes, according to Comelec spokesman James Jimenez.

Ellen Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrants’ Advocacy had said that overseas voters had lost interest and trust in the elections, especially since the “Hello Garci” scandal that involved purported wiretaps of what appear to be Arroyo and former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano that critics say proved widespread cheating in the last elections

Sana also said the low turnout may also be attributed to the cumbersome registration process that requires overseas Filipino to personally appear at the Philippines’ diplomatic posts to sign up.

However, the Comelec website said dual citizens who register as overseas absentee voter are no longer be required to execute the Affidavit of Intent to Return.

Those who have become immigrants or permanent residents of other countries who have not availed of the dual citizenship under the Citizens Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003 still have to meet the one-year residency requirement before they can be allowed to participate in the election as overseas absentee voter.

OFWs in Italy: ‘Where Are Our OAV Ballots?’

Many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Italy, particularly in Rome, have not received the ballots supposed to have been sent to them by mail, the Rome-based workers’ group Umangat (Uplift) said yesterday.

In a statement from the OFW alliance Migrante, Umangat spokesperson Weng Flores, who anchors Ugnayan sa Himpapawid (Links On the Air) a Filipino radio program in Rome), said the delay in the mailing of ballots has kept many OFWs uninformed about the list of senatorial candidates and party list groups.

Because of this delay, Flores said OFWs in Italy will ask Philippine embassy officials to extend the absentee voting beyond the common termination date of May 14.

Gene Calonge, vice chairman of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ OAV Secretariat, said he is checking the information with the Philippine embassy in Rome and the Commission on Elections.

Flores also said no information drive has been conducted for OFWs in Italy, not even the 70,000 in Rome alone.

Migrante said the delay in the OAV in Italy illustrates the double disenfranchisement migrant Filipino workers experience.

Migrante secretary-general Connie Bragas-Regalado said this delay shows the inherent weaknesses in the OAV Act, and “the ineptitude on the part of the Comelec, the DFA and the Arroyo regime.”

“Worse, the unacceptable failure of OAV to start in Italy may indicate already attempts by the Arroyo regime to again resort to widespread electoral fraud,” she added.

noting that Migrante’s global mock elections are consistently dominated by opposition candidates.

Flores acknowledged that the Philippine embassy invited OFWs in Italy to a seminar on the procedures and conduct of the OAV.

However, she said that embassy officials could not say when the ballots would arrive in Italy so Filipino migrants there could cast their votes.

“Embassy officials told us the procedures in absentee voting, but can’t say when the ballots would arrive, because according to them the mailings are bulky, and asked for our patience instead,” Flores said.