Overseas absentee voting in China to start in November

Published October 26, 2011 9:10am

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing, China said the the registration period for Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) will start on November 2 this year and end on October 31 next year. The Embassy will register Filipinos residing in the following areas:

the State-level Municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin;

the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Sichuan;

the autonomous regions of Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Xizang (Tibet); and

Mongolia. The registration will be conducted from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, except during regular and declared Philippine holidays. Those embassy asks those who wish to register during Chinese holidays or on weekends are requested to make an appointment first. All registration will be done at the Philippine Embassy in Beijing. Should the embassy be authorized to conduct mobile registration in selected cities, it said announcements will be made beforehand. Requirements for registration According to the embassy, the following requirements are needed:

for new registrants: valid Philippine passports;

for those who had re-acquired their Philippine citizenship and wish to register: Oath of Allegiance or Order of Approval, and

for seafarers: Seaman's Book. The COMELEC has purged the OAV list of voters who did not vote in the 2007 and 2010 elections. Voters who had previously registered with the Embassy and wish to verify their voting status, are requested to call the Embassy at 6532.1872 and look for:

Consul Pablito Mendoza,

Consul Rhenita Rodriguez,

Mr. Edwin Magsakay, or

Mr. Jolly Jay Maraan. They may also email the Embassy at philemb_beijing@yahoo.com or beijing.pe@dfa.gov.ph. Any other OAV-related queries may be asked at these contact points. Absentee voters who have registered with the Embassy but who have changed address within State-level municipalities, provinces, autonomous regions, and country listed above are requested to apply for a request for change of address at the Embassy. OAV registration forms are available at the Embassy upon registration. However, forms may also be downloaded at the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) website www.comelec.gov.ph. - VVP, GMA News

Tags: overseasabsenteevoting, china, pinoysinchina