FILIPINOS who will be abroad during the 2022 National and Local polls, will now be able to register with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) starting on Tuesday
This after the poll body announced in its Resolution No. 10677 that its Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) located within its main office in Intramuros, Manila, will resume its operations on September 1, 2020.
Those eligible to transact with the OFOV are Filipinos, who are over 18-years old and will be abroad from April 9 to May 9 2022.
Allowed transactions
The OFOV will handle the following transactions: registration/certification as overseas voters; open for transactions such as recapture of biometrics; reinstatement of name inadvertently omitted in the National Registry of Overseas Voters; change of name due to marriage or court order; and correction of entries in the Voter’s Registration Record.
It could also process reactivation of registration records; change or updating of address and other contact information (within the same foreign service post and country); updating of photograph and/or signature; and request to withdraw the application for registration/certification pending Resident Election Registration Board (RERB) approval.
Voters, who previously participated in the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV), may also opt to transfer their voting records in local registration centers from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021, if they plan to stay in the country up to the May 2022 National and Local Election.
Mandatory appointment
Comelec said a “no appointment, no entry” rule will be strictly implemented by the OFOV to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The appointments will be scheduled from Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.
Applicants may set their appointments through the office’s official e-mail address at overseasvoting@comelec.gov.ph or through its official Facebook page using the URL: http://www.facebook.com/overseasvoting.ph.
Those who would like to make the appointment via telephone may call the OFOV: (02) 8522-2251 or (02) 8521-2952 or via SMS through +63 951 875 9882 (TNT/Smart/Sun) and +63 905 034 5158 (TM/Globe).
The request should include the preferred date and time of appointment and type of transaction.
Health protocols
Before going to their appointment, the applicants are encouraged to accomplish the voter application form (except the oath portion) and submit it via e-mail in advance.
On the actual date of the appointment, applicants will be required to comply with minimum health standards including wearing of face masks and face shields and accomplish the health declaration form.
“They must present a printout or show a screenshot of their appointment confirmation slip and bring their original Passport or Seaman’s Book. Supporting documents for specific types of applications must also be submitted, if advised to do so by the OFOV staff. Registrants are encouraged to bring their own black or blue pens,” Comelec said in a statement.
Field and overseas registration
Comelec said its other local field registration centers for overseas voting in the offices of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Martime Industry Authority (Marina) will remain closed until further notice.
It said the resumption of overseas voting registration in foreign service abroad will depend on the discretion of its respective heads “in recognition of the varying circumstances faced by posts worldwide and the different measures adopted by the hosts countries’ government in response to Covid-19.”
“The public must be always notified of any temporary closure, including date of resumption of operations.”
