Vice Consul Roussel Reyes, the Philippine Commission on Elections’ lead person in Riyadh, said he is hoping voter turnout will pick up this week and that most registered voters will have cast their ballots before the final voting day.
Voting began on April 10 for overseas Filipinos who are registered to vote and will end on May 10, the date set for the election of the Philippines’ next president, vice president, members of Congress and local officials.
In Saudi Arabia, a total 112,350 Filipinos are on the list of voters, accounting for almost one-fifth of the 589,830 total registered absentee Filipino voters worldwide.
Filipino officials said the number of ballots cast in election centers in the Kingdom has so far not even reached five percent of the total registered voters.
Filipinos who voted early have called on their fellow nationals to follow suit and take the opportunity to help elect the Philippines’ next leaders.
Philippine Consul General in Jeddah Ezzedin H. Tago said registered voters should not easily despair if they are unable to find their names on the Commission for Elections’ site — www.comelec.gov.ph.
“Check with the voting centers because your name could be there even if you can’t find it online,” he said.
Some early voters in Jeddah said they were unable to find their names on the commission’s site, but got a warm surprise when they did find them on lists at voting precincts.
In Riyadh, Consul Reyes said the embassy has set up assistance desks to address problems encountered by registered voters. He also urged those whose names are not on the list to notify the embassy by calling 01 4820507.
In Jeddah, voters who have complaints or queries can call 02 6696303/02 6670925, send an e-mail to [email protected], or call Second Secretary and Consul Leo Teo L. Ausan on the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) hotline 0569754664.
In Alkhobar, Labor Attaché Des Dicang said the Philippine Mission in the Eastern Province has stepped up the campaign with the help of over 70 organizations in the region to spread word about the ongoing OAV exercise and to help prod companies to allow their workers to vote.
There are four voting centers in Saudi Arabia: the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, the Consulate General in Jeddah, the International Philippine School in Alkhobar and the Philippine International School in Buraidah.
Those residing in places far from these voting centers are welcome to telephone prior to coming.
The voting center in Alkhobar has the most flexible time in Saudi Arabia. Voters in Alkhobar can cast their ballots from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
