JEDDAH/RIYADH/ ALKHOBAR, 17 April 2007 — Filipinos across the Kingdom began casting their votes on Saturday in the second overseas absentee voting (OAV), with few encountering any problems except for some voters in the Eastern Province who were unable to vote after they found that their names were listed in Riyadh.
Overseas Filipino workers around the world are voting for 12 senators and one party-list group. Filipinos back home will cast their votes on May 14.
Remegio Dadulla Jr. of the Security Forces Hospital was the first voter in Riyadh.
He cast his vote 30 minutes after the 15 voting precincts opened simultaneously in the chancery hall and the basement parking of the Philippine Embassy in the diplomatic quarters. Dadulla was one of the 136 Filipino migrant workers who voted in Riyadh on the first day of the month-long absentee voting exercise, which will end May 14. There are 58,243 registered voters in the Central Province.
Only 48 OFWs cast their votes on the first day of the OAV held at the International Philippine School in Alkhobar (IPSA). The low turnout was expected since the first day of voting fell on a working day. A worker from Aramco in Dhahran was the first voter to cast his ballot in Alkhobar. He arrived at the voting center at 9:10 a.m.
Labor Attaché Delmer Cruz, the official supervising the polling in Alkhobar, said that there were a total of 29,113 Filipino voters registered in the Eastern Province.
This is a 28 percent increase from the 22,783 who registered during the presidential elections in 2004 but is still a relatively small number of the estimated 250,000 Filipinos working in the Eastern Province.
Confusion also arose on the first day when some of the registered voters were not allowed to cast their votes since their names appeared on the Riyadh list and not on the Alkhobar one.
Virgilio Feliciano, a worker in Alkhobar, complained that he cast his vote there at IPSA in 2004 and that his name should therefore be on the Alkhobar list.
His name appeared on the Certified List of Overseas Absentee Voters (CLOAV), but he has to cast his vote in Riyadh.
“This is ridiculous. They should have taken measures on this earlier as it is impossible for me to travel to Riyadh just to cast my vote,” Feliciano said angrily.
Cruz clarified that it was the clear instruction of the Commission on Election (Comelec) that absentee voters are allowed to vote only at the voting centers where their names are listed.
However, Cruz said that the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, through the initiative of Ambassador Antonio Villamor, had already requested the Comelec in Manila to review the situation and allow registered voters in Alkhobar, whose names appeared on the Riyadh list, to cast their votes at IPSA.
This was also done during the 2004 elections when some of the registered voters in Alkhobar were erroneously listed in Riyadh, and vice versa, and they were allowed to vote, according to Feliciano.
Community groups in Alkhobar are trying to persuade more voters to vote this time than in 2004, when only 13,998 or 60 percent of the total number of registered voters voted.
Vice Consul Gerardo Abiog, head of the special concerns unit, said that all ballot boxes are being turned over by the 15 precincts at the close of voting every day and kept in the Mabini Hall of the chancery in Riyadh. “We would like to assure our fellow Filipinos that we are taking all steps to ensure the sanctity of the overseas Filipino votes,” said Abiog.
OFWs and their dependents in the Western Province started casting their votes Saturday morning in the lobby of the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah. Consul Jose V. Jacob is in charge of the poll. The consulate will be open every day to receive the voting public from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Saturday to Friday.
More than a hundred Filipinos cast their votes early. “It’s better to vote early to avoid the rush,” said Rolando, an electrician who came all the way from Yanbu.
“The first day was so calm and smooth, but the volume of voters is expected to increase during the weekend since we are open also Thursdays and Fridays,” said consulate action officer Rose Justiniano.
There are 10 precincts manned by around 30 consulate staff. The 32-strong martial arts volunteers from Philippine Karatedo Federation will be assisting the consulate to maintain peace and order during the entire election process.
Abiog said that the embassy has informed the security personnel of the diplomatic quarter regarding the voting exercise.
JUAN! a group of Filipino volunteers advocating the rights and welfare of overseas Filipinos, is negotiating with some Philippine schools to provide free shuttle services to transport voters from Batha in downtown Riyadh to the diplomatic quarter on weekends.
Meanwhile, some OFWs in Jeddah are not convinced that celebrities should have the chance to serve in public office. “The Senate is not for celebrities who make movies. We need someone with principles who can make sensible laws and who can defend the rights of every Filipino,” said Mandy Pajarillaga. “Celebrities should not enter politics. It’s a serious matter and the future of the entire country is at stake,” said Grace Renacia.
Several show business personalities are running for different posts, including Alma Moreno, Vilma Santos, Richard Gomez and Cesar Montano.
“They are not all qualified. If they want to help, they should help in a different way,” said Geronimo Berones.
Roger Santos, a graphic designer, was delighted when he got his voter’s ID for the first time since he participated in the OAV registration in 2003. But his enthusiasm has worn off and Santos said he would not vote in this election.
“I will not vote. It’s just the same as previous elections, full of fraud and irregularities. I feel sad and disappointed. That’s why I will not vote,” he explained.
— Dinan Arana from Alkhobar, Francis R. Salud from Jeddah and Bien Custodio from Riyadh contributed to this report
