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Voter registration takes off on Saipan with 10 registrants
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Posted on Nov 05 2011
By Clarissa David
Reporter
Reporter
Ten individuals have so far registered since the Philippine Consulate General began on Nov. 2 the registration for overseas absentee voters for the May 2013 elections.
Consul General Medardo Macaraig disclosed that the first five filed their applications for registration on the first day while another five turned in their applications the next day.
The Consulate was closed yesterday in observance of Citizenship Day.
Macaraig said that Dennis C. Pedrano was the first to submit his application for registration shortly after the opening of office hours last Wednesday.
“His photograph, fingerprints and other biometric information were obtained by staff of the Consulate who were deputized and trained by the Commission on Elections to conduct the registration or certification of absentee voters,” said Macaraig.
While Macaraig said that it’s “still too early to make any statement or assessment” of the registration for overseas absentee voters, he noted that the uncertainty of the status of Filipino workers in the CNMI may have played a role in why only a few people turned up during the first two days of registration.
Another factor, Macaraig said, is the Oct. 31, 2012, deadline which gives Filipinos enough time to register for the overseas absentee voting.
“As soon as the CW applications clear and who among the Pinoys remain in the CNMI is established, we may see an increase in applications, including those who may transfer their voting rights from Saipan back to their hometown in the Philippines,” he told Saipan Tribune.
The Consulate conducts the registration or certification of qualified Filipino overseas absentee voters during office hours from 8am to 6pm except holidays and weekends, and during the scheduled One-Saturday or Sunday-A-Month services.
Registration requirements for overseas absentee voting are a valid Philippine passport and an accomplished OAV Form No. 1, which can be obtained at the Consulate or downloaded and printed from the Commission on Election website, www.comelec.gov.ph/.
To register or for more information, visit the Consulate office at the fifth floor of Marianas Business Plaza in Susupe or call 234-1850.
