NextGen Day

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) stated Monday that the first day of overseas voting, which began on Sunday for Filipinos working and living abroad, was “mostly peaceful” except for a few inevitable difficulties.

Commissioner Marlon Casquejo stated that the first day of the month-long election had just minimal issues.

In a press conference, Casquejo, the head of the Comelec-Office for Overseas Voting, said, “So we can see that it is generally calm and the opening of our posts was effective save for some concerns that can’t be prevented or logistical issues because of Covid-19 scenarios.”

Except for those in Islamabad, Timor Leste, and Shanghai, China, he claimed all but three of the 92 posts in various nations and territories have opened.

“There has been a problem with the release of election materials at Pakistan Customs in Islamabad, but it is likely to be issued today” (Monday). The problem for Timor Leste is that flights from the Philippines to Timor Leste are currently unavailable, so our Department of Foreign Affairs employees are on standby. “A flight to Timor Leste is planned to depart from Kuala Lumpur on Thursday,” he said.

Shanghai has imposed lockdowns, according to him, and workers cannot be mobilized. On Monday, the Chinese city reported 25,000 new Covid-19 infections.

“All of the materials have arrived in Shanghai, but due to Covid-19 constraints, they have yet to be delivered to our posts,” Garcia explained.

He also stated that five extra vote counting machines (VCMs) will be installed in Hong Kong in order to prepare for the flood of voters, particularly on weekends.

There are 93,886 Filipino voters registered in Hong Kong.

“We submitted an advise to the post office to submit an additional five sets of Special Board of Election Inspectors, so our five VCMs will double by tomorrow or Wednesday,” Casquejo added.

He claims that with the additional VCMs, the HK post will be able to handle up to 5,000 votes every day.

Commissioner George Garcia also disproved social media rumors that some Singapore and Dubai ballots had been pre-shaded.

“Neither our post nor any of our officials have provided us with a report.” “As a result, that is fake news,” Garcia explained.

On Monday morning, the Philippine Embassy in Singapore reported only one example of a spoilt ballot presented to a voter “inadvertently and unintentionally.”

Quick action is required.

Senators Leila de Lima and Imee Marcos, for their part, have urged the Comelec and the Department of Foreign Affairs to address other reported setbacks.

Marcos, who chairs the Committee on Electoral Reform, said in a statement on Monday that her office had received complaints of erratic voting hours, with some concluding in the mid-afternoon and others lasting well into the evening.

“Many OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) are unable to vote due to long lineups, delayed election supplies, and unreceived mail-in ballots,” she stated.

Thousands of OFWs will be disenfranchised if government agencies in other countries wait until the last minute to enact remedies, according to Marcos.

“The immediate solution is to extend voting hours at our embassies and consulates,” she said, “while the Comelec works out the technical issues of setting up extra polling precincts.”

De Lima stated that the Comelec should not overlook the Philippine posts’ reported lack of effort in informing absentee voters about voting processes.

“Kung hindi maayos na matugunan ang mga isyu na kinakaharap ng mga kababayan natin sa overseas ay maraming boto ang maaring masayang, o kaya naman ay maging sanhi ng iregularidad at pandaraya,” she said in a second statement.

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