Overseas voting in Jeddah postponed

MANILA, Philippines - The start of the overseas absentee voting (OAV) in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did not push through last Tuesday due to delay in the release of ballot boxes by KSA Customs, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said the ballot boxes were not released in time for the April 16 start of OAV, and he could not ascertain the cause of the delay.

“Maybe now the ballot boxes have already been released. So as soon as ballot boxes (reach the Philippine post), voting will start,” Brillantes said in an interview.

To make up for lost time, the voting hours in Jeddah would have to be extended.

OAV started all over the world last April 13, except in Jeddah. There are 737,375 Filipino voters abroad and Jeddah accounts for 30,238 of them.

Overseas Filipino workers group Migrante also reported yesterday that OFWs in Italy have not yet received their ballot packets.

“We have just received reports from Migrante chapters in Milan and Rome that members of the Filipino communities there are still awaiting the arrival of their ballot packets via post. They are in the process of seeking a dialogue with the Philippine embassy there,” Migrante said.

Migrante also reported hitches in the ongoing OAV in Hong Kong. The group said they have received reports of ballots being rejected by the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines allegedly due to faulty ink in Hong Kong.

“Those are automatically spoiled ballots. What has the Comelec done to correct this?” Migrante asked.

Earlier, OFWs in Hong Kong expressed dismay over the Comelec’s decision not to use indelible ink and also complained that the PCOS machines have no locks.

Migrante further reported that OFWs in Australia complained that most of the 1,985 registered overseas voters there have a hard time voting because there are only two polling places in Canberra and Sydney, which are at least 8 to 10 hours away from Melbourne and Perth where a big number of Filipinos are located.

“There has been no day since the OAV started that OFWs abroad have not conveyed their complaints and expressed dismay with the OAV in their respective areas and yet we hear not a word of explanation from the Comelec,” Migrante said.

Members of Migrante in the Philippines are planning to hold a picket at the Comelec next week to protest anomalies in the OAV, while its chapters abroad are set to stage protest actions at Philippine embassies.