Comelec, DFA told to explain low OAV turnout

MANILA - Senator Franklin Drilon called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to explain the low voter turnout for overseas absentee voting in the 2013 midterm polls.

“I hate to sound like a broken record, but I again deplore the dismal implementation of the absentee voting law in the just-concluded midterm elections,” said Drilon, who was one of the principal sponsors of Republic Act 9189, or the Overseas Absentee Voting Act.

The chairman of the Senate committee on finance said that only 113,209 of the total 737,759 registered Filipino voters abroad cast their votes, with a voter’s turnout of only 15.35 percent. This year’s figure is lower than the 153,323 voter turnout in the May 2010 polls.

“When we crafted the absentee voting law, we wanted to empower the overseas Filipino workers in the hope that at least they can influence the result of the election by electing qualified leaders. However, the turnout is getting more and more disappointing by the election,” Drilon said.

Drilon, who was the campaign manager of Team PNoy, noted that Congress had approved an increased budget to the Comelec and the DFA for a wider implementation of the Overseas Absentee Voting Act.

He said that P105.038 million was allocated for the Comelec and another P43.41 million was allocated to the DFA for the implementation of the absentee voting law this year.

“With only 113,209 overseas Filipinos voting, the cost of each absentee vote is now P1,310 per vote. This is outrageous. I wonder how the Comelec and the DFA can justify these numbers,” Drilon said.

Comelec officials, meanwhile, said allowing internet voting for Filipinos overseas would help increase voter’s interest in the next OAV.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said that aside from low interest level of the Filipinos abroad, some don’t find it practical to go to the nearest consulate to cast their votes.

“The solution is really the internet voting,” he said as he called on legislators to allow internet voting in the next elections.

Section 16 of the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 states that “only ballots cast, and mailed ballots received by the Philippine embassies, consulates and other Foreign Service establishments” shall be counted.

“We are strongly pushing for internet voting. That’s the only way to increase our number of overseas voters and improve the system of OAV,” said Commissioner Lucenito Tagle, who chairs the committee on overseas absentee voting (COAV). (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)