Angara pushes mail vote

Sen. Edgardo An—gara expressed confidence yesterday that the upcoming bicameral conference committee would support the Senate version allowing Filipinos abroad to register and vote by mail.

Angara, principal author and sponsor of the Senate-approved bill on absence voting, said that requiring overseas Filipinos to personally appear in Philippine consulates or embassies to register or to vote would make the proposed absentee voting law "inoperable."

The House version calls for the personal appearance of Filipinos abroad in registering and in voting, in contrast to the Senate version which allows these activities by mail, including the electronic kind.

A technical working group began deliberating yesterday on how to reconcile the House and Senate versions.

Angara said many countries have more sophisticated mail systems than the Philippines, so their efficiency should not be a question at all in the upcoming bicameral meeting.

"In countries like the United States and Saudi Arabia, mail fraud is a very serious offense. If a voter uses the mail to cheat in the absentee voting, then he will be violating not only the Philippine electoral law but also the law of the host country on mail fraud," he said.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Arturo Brion, a member of the technical working group, voiced his support for the Senate provision on allowing registration and voting by mail.

Brion said personal appearance would prevent up to 90 percent of Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to vote in national elections.

"Unless voting by mail is allowed, only 10 percent (of Filipinos) in Saudi Arabia will vote — and they will be spending a huge sum of of money just to be able to vote." Brion said.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Reynaldo Parungao amplified the opinion of Brion in favor of registering and voting by mail instead of in person.