May 2000

His Excellency, Joseph Ejercito Estrada
President
Republic of the Philippines

Dear President Estrada:

Re:APPEAL TO ENACT THE ABSENTEE VOTING BILL

Greetings.

We, the overseas Filipino workers and overseas Filipinos, together with our families and advocates, appeal to you to please ensure the enactment of a law enabling a system of absentee voting for us and our millions of kababayans overseas in time for the 2001 national elections.

In our view, the absentee voting law must:

  1. Ensure equal opportunity and access to all qualified overseas Filipinos in the exercise of suffrage regardless of their location, work category and residency status abroad. It must cover all Filipinos abroad who possess valid Philippine passports and have not renounced their Filipino citizenship;
  2. Include all national elections or any plebiscite, referendum or initiative on any national issue;
  3. Provide for a system of registration abroad or by mail to the COMELEC office in Manila even as the system of continuing registration is being implemented;
  4. Allow for actual voting and counting of ballots to be conducted at the embassies and/ or consular offices or in duly designated places abroad;
  5. Allow for the exercise of suffrage in all countries and destinations worldwide where Filipinos are found and where embassies and/or consulates are located; Special arrangements may be made for those areas with few OFWs or where there are no embassies;
  6. Allow for the participation of Filipino organizations and individuals abroad to assist the government in election-related matters and activities; COMELEC may deputize such groups for this purpose.

Mr. President, we welcome your declaration of the year 2000 as year of the OFWs. To make that declaration truly relevant, we urge you to make the passage of an absentee voting bill a priority measure of your administration so as to provide us with the possibility, guaranteed by the Constitution, to participate through our vote, in the development of our country.

Thank you for your cooperation.

[Contact Address: Kakammpi, 70-B Matahimik St., Teachers' Village, Quezon City *Tel/Fax: +632 9215810; *E-mail: <kakammpi@skyinet.net> ]



May 2000

Hon. Manuel Villar
Speaker
House of Representatives

Dear Speaker Villar:

Re: APPEAL TO ENACT THE ABSENTEE VOTING BILL

Greetings.

We, the overseas Filipino workers and overseas Filipinos, together with our families and advocates, appeal to you to please ensure the enactment of a law enabling a system of absentee voting for us and our millions of kababayans overseas in time for the 2001 national elections.

In our view, the absentee voting law must:

  1. Ensure equal opportunity and access to all qualified overseas Filipinos in the exercise of suffrage regardless of their location, work category and residency status abroad. It must cover all Filipinos abroad who possess valid Philippine passports and have not renounced their Filipino citizenship;
  2. Include all national elections or any plebiscite, referendum or initiative on any national issue;
  3. Provide for a system of registration abroad or by mail to the COMELEC office in Manila even as the system of continuing registration is being implemented;
  4. Allow for actual voting and counting of ballots to be conducted at the embassies and/ or consular offices or in duly designated places abroad;
  5. Allow for the exercise of suffrage in all countries and destinations worldwide where Filipinos are found and where embassies and/or consulates are located; Special arrangements may be made for those areas with few OFWs or where there are no embassies;
  6. Allow for the participation of Filipino organizations and individuals abroad to assist the government in election-related matters and activities; COMELEC may deputize such groups for this purpose.

We welcome President Estrada's declaration of the year 2000 as year of the OFWs. To make that declaration truly relevant, we urge you to make the passage of an absentee voting bill a priority measure of your leadership so as to provide us with the possibility, guaranteed by the Constitution, to participate through our vote, in the development of our country.

Thank you for your cooperation.

[Contact Address: Kakammpi, 70-B Matahimik St., Teachers' Village, Quezon City *Tel/Fax: +632 9215810; *E-mail: <kakammpi@skyinet.net> ]



May 2000

Hon. Augusto Boboy Syjuco
Chairperson
Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms and Appropriations
House of Representatives

Dear Cong.Syjuco:

Re: APPEAL TO ENACT THE ABSENTEE VOTING BILL

Greetings.

We, the overseas Filipino workers and overseas Filipinos, together with our families and advocates, appeal to you to please ensure the enactment of a law enabling a system of absentee voting for us and our millions of kababayans overseas in time for the 2001 national elections.

In our view, the absentee voting law must:

  1. Ensure equal opportunity and access to all qualified overseas Filipinos in the exercise of suffrage regardless of their location, work category and residency status abroad. It must cover all Filipinos abroad who possess valid Philippine passports and have not renounced their Filipino citizenship;
  2. Include all national elections or any plebiscite, referendum or initiative on any national issue;
  3. Provide for a system of registration abroad or by mail to the COMELEC office in Manila even as the system of continuing registration is being implemented;
  4. Allow for actual voting and counting of ballots to be conducted at the embassies and/ or consular offices or in duly designated places abroad;
  5. Allow for the exercise of suffrage in all countries and destinations worldwide where Filipinos are found and where embassies and/or consulates are located; Special arrangements may be made for those areas with few OFWs or where there are no embassies;
  6. Allow for the participation of Filipino organizations and individuals abroad to assist the government in election-related matters and activities; COMELEC may deputize such groups for this purpose.

We welcome President Estrada's declaration of the year 2000 as year of the OFWs. To make that declaration truly relevant, we urge you to make the passage of an absentee voting bill a priority measure of your committee so as to provide us with the possibility, guaranteed by the Constitution, to participate through our vote, in the development of our country.

Thank you for your cooperation.

[Contact Address: Kakammpi, 70-B Matahimik St., Teachers' Village, Quezon City *Tel/Fax: +632 9215810; *E-mail: <kakammpi@skyinet.net> ]



May 2000

Hon. Franklin Drilon
President
Senate of the Philippines

Dear Sen. Drilon:

Re: APPEAL TO ENACT THE ABSENTEE VOTING BILL

Greetings.

We, the overseas Filipino workers and overseas Filipinos, together with our families and advocates, appeal to you to please ensure the enactment of a law enabling a system of absentee voting for us and our millions of kababayans overseas in time for the 2001 national elections.

In our view, the absentee voting law must:

  1. Ensure equal opportunity and access to all qualified overseas Filipinos in the exercise of suffrage regardless of their location, work category and residency status abroad. It must cover all Filipinos abroad who possess valid Philippine passports and have not renounced their Filipino citizenship;
  2. Include all national elections or any plebiscite, referendum or initiative on any national issue;
  3. Provide for a system of registration abroad or by mail to the COMELEC office in Manila even as the system of continuing registration is being implemented;
  4. Allow for actual voting and counting of ballots to be conducted at the embassies and/ or consular offices or in duly designated places abroad;
  5. Allow for the exercise of suffrage in all countries and destinations worldwide where Filipinos are found and where embassies and/or consulates are located; Special arrangements may be made for those areas with few OFWs or where there are no embassies;
  6. Allow for the participation of Filipino organizations and individuals abroad to assist the government in election-related matters and activities; COMELEC may deputize such groups for this purpose.

We welcome President Estrada's declaration of the year 2000 as year of the OFWs. To make that declaration truly relevant, we urge you to make the passage of an absentee voting bill a priority measure of your leadership so as to provide us with the possibility, guaranteed by the Constitution, to participate through our vote, in the development of our country.

Thank you for your cooperation.

[Contact Address: Kakammpi, 70-B Matahimik St., Teachers' Village, Quezon City *Tel/Fax: +632 9215810; *E-mail: <kakammpi@skyinet.net> ]



May 2000

Hon. Raul S. Roco
Chairperson
Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Revisions of Codes and Laws
Senate of the Philippines

Dear Sen. Roco:

Re: APPEAL TO ENACT THE ABSENTEE VOTING BILL

Greetings.

We, the overseas Filipino workers and overseas Filipinos, together with our families and advocates, appeal to you to please ensure the enactment of a law enabling a system of absentee voting for us and our millions of kababayans overseas in time for the 2001 national elections.

In our view, the absentee voting law must:

  1. Ensure equal opportunity and access to all qualified overseas Filipinos in the exercise of suffrage regardless of their location, work category and residency status abroad. It must cover all Filipinos abroad who possess valid Philippine passports and have not renounced their Filipino citizenship;
  2. Include all national elections or any plebiscite, referendum or initiative on any national issue;
  3. Provide for a system of registration abroad or by mail to the COMELEC office in Manila even as the system of continuing registration is being implemented;
  4. Allow for actual voting and counting of ballots to be conducted at the embassies and/ or consular offices or in duly designated places abroad;
  5. Allow for the exercise of suffrage in all countries and destinations worldwide where Filipinos are found and where embassies and/or consulates are located; Special arrangements may be made for those areas with few OFWs or where there are no embassies;
  6. Allow for the participation of Filipino organizations and individuals abroad to assist the government in election-related matters and activities; COMELEC may deputize such groups for this purpose.

We welcome President Estrada's declaration of the year 2000 as year of the OFWs. To make that declaration truly relevant, we urge you to make the passage of an absentee voting bill a priority measure of your committee so as to provide us with the possibility, guaranteed by the Constitution, to participate through our vote, in the development of our country.

Thank you for your cooperation.

[Contact Address: Kakammpi, 70-B Matahimik St., Teachers' Village, Quezon City *Tel/Fax: +632 9215810; *E-mail: <kakammpi@skyinet.net> ]

See also: Materials on Overseas Voting