Registration for overseas voting near Saipan to start in 2012

Filipinos living in two islands near Saipan will have to wait until early 2012 before they can register as overseas absentee voters (OAVs) for the 2013 elections. The Consulate General in Saipan said OAV registration in Tinian and Rota will begin nexty ear. “Mobile registration shall be conducted for Filipinos in the islands of Tinian and Rota during the next consular services in these islands, tentatively scheduled in the first quarter of next year," a news release of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Meanwhile, the Consulate General in Saipan started OAV registration for the 2013 polls last November 2. Dennis Pedrano was the first applicant for registration as an OAV. Five Filipinos applied at the Consulate on the first day of OAV registration. In the May 2010 elections, there were 7,169 registered absentee voters in the Northern Marianas, and 3,341 voters cast their votes representing a 46.6-percent voter turnout. The Consulate in Saipan registered the second highest number of overseas absentee voters among Philippine Consulates in the United States, next to the Consulate General in Los Angeles, and tenth among Philippine Embassies and Consulates around the world. The registration and certification of qualified Filipino OAVs at the Consulate shall continue during office hours from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. except holidays and weekends. However, during the scheduled One-Saturday or Sunday-a-Month service of the Consulate, registration/certification shall also be offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The period of registration/certification ends on October 31, 2012. Elections will be held on May 13, 2013. - VVP, GMA News