Comelec seeing ‘much higher’ OAV turnout for Eleksyon 2022 — Casquejo

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is banking on a higher overseas voter turnout for the 2022 elections as compared to the recent past elections, poll commissioner Marlon Casquejo said Thursday.

In a television interview, Casquejo noted that in some areas like Hong Kong, about 30% Filipinos have already voted, while other countries reported about 20%, since April 10, the first day of overseas voting for the 2022 polls.

“Our overseas voting right now is very much interesting because you know, [on] the first day, there are so many overseas voters who want to vote. So, we are expecting a much higher voting turnout as compared in 2016 and 2019 elections,” he said.

“Sa ngayon (right now), for this early time period of voting, we have already reached our target, which is more than 30%,” he added.

Casquejo pointed out that in the previous elections, there were only about 20% or less overseas voter turnout.

Based on Comelec’s data, there are 1,697,215 overseas Filipinos registered for the 2022 elections. Of this number, 786,997 are from the Middle East and African countries, 450,282 from the Asia Pacific, 306,445 from the North and Latin America, and 153,491 from Europe.

Casquejo cited the Comelec’s new “vote anywhere” and field voting concepts as reasons for this improved overseas voter turnout.

He explained that in the “vote anywhere” concept, Filipinos who are in another country but are registered in a different country are allowed to vote. Meanwhile, in the field voting, he said the consul or the embassy staff will go directly to where the overseas Filipinos reside for them to conduct their vote.

The Department of Budget and Management last year trimmed the Comelec's proposed budget of P41.992 billion down to P26.497 billion. Of this amount, the DBM said that P111.9 million was allocated for the Overseas Absentee Voting Continuing Registration. 

Asked how the Comelec was able to remedy such a budget reduction, Casquejo said, “During en banc meeting, we asked for additional budget. Since we have some savings from other budget, so we were given additional budget of P345 million. That is why we were able to conduct field voting and also the postage, we were able to give additional budget for the postage of the mailing packet.”

Filipino voters who applied for the overseas voting option can cast their ballots until May 9, 2022, or Election Day in the Philippines. — Giselle Ombay/RSJ, GMA News