ABSENTEE VOTING SIGNED INTO LAW. President Arroyo signed into law yesterday Republic Act 9189, which authorizes "overseas absentee voting," enabling Filipinos working abroad to cast their votes starting with the May 2004 national elections.
The President signed RA 9189 in the presence of leaders of Congress, top government officials involved in crafting the electoral measure, and representatives of various organizations and associations of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in rites at Malacanang.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos told Palace reporters that Congress leaders led by Speaker Jose de Venecia promised him that initial funding of P1 billion would be provided by legislators in the 2003 budget for preparatory activities that would presage the implementation of the absentee voting law. Since the 2003 budget has not yet been approved by Congress, Abalos said, De Venecia told him that legislators would "insert" an allocation of P1 billion for absentee voting. However, Abalos said, this amount will not be enough, since the Comelec needs a total of P2 billion to implement the absentee voting system, through which four to five million qualified voters who are overseas Filipinos will cast their ballots.
In Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom, where the postal systems are very efficient, overseas Filipinos may send their ballots home by mail, Abalos said. However, in countries where the postal system is not reliable, OFWs wishing to vote must personally visit the Philippine embassy or consulate, identify themselves as qualified voters and cast their ballots.
As provided by RA 9189, a joint congressional oversight committee composed of the chairmen of the Senate committees on constitutional amendments and revision of codes and laws and seven other senators as well the head of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms and seven members of the House will be empowered to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the new law. The new law mandates the congressional oversight committee to review, revise, amend and approve the Implementing Rules and Regulations for RA 9189 promulgated by the Comelec.
Besides De Venecia, the signing of RA 9189 was witnessed by the principal authors and sponsors of this law led by opposition Sen. Edgardo Angara and Cabinet officials led by Malacanang said Filipino immigrants and permanent residents recognized as such by their host countries would have to execute an affidavit attesting that "he or she will assume actual physical permanent residence in the Philippines not later than three years from approval" of his or her registration to vote. Those who have renounced Philippine citizenship and pledged allegiance to a foreign country are disqualified from participating in the overseas suffrage exercise, Malacanang said.
The enactment of RA 9189 was lauded yesterday by the Senate leadership. In separate statements, Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda said the signing of RA 9189 into law "is a historic and glorious day" for the millions of OFWs and their families. Political analysts say the huge number of Filipinos abroad could become a major political force that could decide presidential contests.
Additionally, since they are not based in the Philippines, overseas Filipinos are less likely to be bought off or intimidated by politicians, observers said. Legarda said the big challenge is now for the government to The absentee voting law allows OFWs and Filipino immigrants to exercise their right to vote for the president, vice president, senators and party-list representatives during national elections and cast their ballots from their host countries.
Source: Philippine Star, 14 February 2003
SENATE APPROVES FINAL VERSION OF ABSENTEE VOTING BILL. With 14 senators in favor and only one against, the Senate ratified Tuesday the conference committee report on the absentee voting law which seeks to allow 7.3 million overseas Filipinos to vote in national elections staring in 2004.
Sen. Edgardo Angara, head of the Senate panel in the conference committee, said the measure was just the beginning of a "wonderful experiment and political adventure" for overseas Filipinos who have contributed immensely in keeping the economy afloat. The House is expected to also ratify the final version of the bill today. After this, the bill will be presented to President Macapagal on Friday for signing.
Two versions of the proposed law had been filed in past congresses but it was only yesterday that it reached the ratification stage by senators. Voting for the report were Senators Sergio and John Osmena, Robert Jaworski, Panfilo Lacson, Vicente Sotto III, Aquilino Pimentel, Ramon Magsaysay, Noli de Castro, Francis Pangilinan, Manuel Villar, Robert Barbers, Loren Legarda and Senate President Pro Tempore Juan Flavier. Only Sen. Joker Arroyo voted against the measure, saying the measure violated the Constitution, which imposes residency requirements for voters -- at least one year in the Philippines and six months in the place where they propose to vote.
Source: Philippines Daily Inquirer, 5 February 2003
BICAM APPROVES ABSENTEE VOTING BILL. The House-Senate conference committee finally resolved last night the remaining snag to the approval of the absentee voting law, allowing up to seven million Filipinos overseas to vote in the May 2004 elections.
Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda said that the breakthrough came after the House contingent acceded to a compromise on the inclusion of immigrants and green card holders under the coverage of the proposed law. The House opposition to allowing immigrants to vote was the only remaining roadblock to the approval of the law.
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said that under the compromise agreement, immigrants and green card holders will be allowed to vote in 2004, but will be required to reestablish their residence in the Philippines within two years. Earlier, Sen. Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, said that even immigrants and green card holders must be allowed to vote under the principle that all who still hold Filipino citizenship should continue to enjoy all rights and privileges inherent in the citizenship.
Some 2.7 million Filipinos overseas would have been disenfranchised had the House and the Senate failed to hammer out a compromise agreement on this thorny issue. For a while, the two sides appeared to have dug in, and refused to listen to the other side.
Registration will be done personally. Voting by mail will be allowed in three countries under a set of criteria. Legarda said that the probable countries are Canada, Japan and United Kingdom, where there is an efficient mail system. In other places, voting would be done personally. Legarda said a congressional oversight committee will review after 2004 the countries where voting by mail is allowed.
Source: Philippine Star, 31 January 2003
OVERSEAS VOTING BILL NEARS PASSAGE. A congressional bicameral conference committee has reconciled 23 of the 32 conflicting provisions in the Senate and House of Representatives versions of the absentee voting bill, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said yesterday.
Pimentel said that of the nine provisions that were not reconciled during a three and a half hour meeting held at the Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, "only four are major provisions." A smaller seven-man group was formed to work on the unresolved provisions.
In a report submitted to Sen. Edgardo Angara, head of the Senate panel to the bicameral committee, some of the provisions that have been reconciled are those related to the system of continuing registration, posting of certified list of overseas absentee voters, printing, transmittal and distribution of ballots, automated counting and canvassing, public information campaign, assistance from government agencies, the list of prohibited acts, suppletory application of the omnibus election code, appropriations, separability and repealing clause.
The items that are yet to be reconciled are provisions on the qualifications of overseas voters, positions qualified overseas voters can vote for, manner of voting and the so-called "sunset provision." The differences are: -- The Senate version allows all overseas Filipinos to vote but the House version excludes immigrants and permanent residents of host countries. -- The Senate version allows all qualified overseas voters to vote for president, vice president, senators and party-list representatives while the House version limits it to president and vice president only. -- The Senate version allows voting by mail while the House version requires personal appearance at Philippine embassies and consulates. -- The House version also includes a "sunset provision" limiting the overseas voting franchise to the 2004 elections and requiring a new law for its continued implementation.
Source: Philippine Star, 17 January 2003
ANGARA: CONGRESS WILL PASS ABSENTEE VOTING LAW. Sen. Edgardo Angara expressed confidence yesterday that Congress would be able to pass the proposed Absentee Voting Law of 2003 before month's end.
This came as the House-Senate conference committee formally met for the first time last night to reconcile the differing provisions of their respective versions of the proposed law. "We would come out with a law by the end of the month and enable some 5 to 7 million overseas Filipinos to vote in the 2004 elections," Angara said.
Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on electoral reforms, said that confidence stemmed from the productive prior meetings of the House and Senate technical working groups. He said that the law to be passed would definitely be implemented not only in 2004 but also in succeeding years unless amended or repealed. The House has already withdrawn its provision that the law applies only to the 2004 elections, and that a new law must be enacted afterward for subsequent absentee voting.
Source: Philippine Star, 15 January 2003
Comelec, OFWs Call on Congress to Approve AVB. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) headed by Chairman Benjamin Abalos and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have jointly appealed to Congress to prioritize the approval of the long-pending Absentee Voting Bill (AVB).
Their appeal came in the wake of the continued failure of the Senate and House of Representatives bicameral conference committee to meet and reconcile their two versions on the bill. While two priority bills of the Arroyo administration were ready for the Presidents signing into law, the AVB and other urgent measures are still stalled in varying degrees of legislative work. AVB seeks to grant millions of OFWs and other migrant Filipinos the right to vote while in their host countries starting in the 2004 presidential elections.
So far, the bicameral conference committee has not yet met to finally reconcile several provisions of the Upper and Lower Chambersbills that were passed in third reading late last year. The intention of Congress-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has certified the AVB as a priority legislation of her administration and vowed to sign it into law within 24 hours of its passage-was for the passage of the bill in June last year. But this has been overtaken by events and is in fear of not being able to be implemented in 2004. Abalos and the OFWs led by Moises Tapalla of Batangas expressed apprehension "that any further delay in the approval of absentee voting measure could jeopardize absentee voting which will be tried for the first time in the country in the May 10, 2004 elections."
OFWs have lamented that 14 years have passe since the 1987 Constitution mandated absentee voting but nothing has materialized yet, and because of this the suffering Filipino migrants have even threatened to stop remitting their dollars to the cash-strapped Philippine economy. The Comelec and the OFWs also asked Congress to pass also the 2003 budget which is still stalled because its approval, together with the AVB, is crucial to the success of absentee voting and poll modernization. Abalos said the 2003 budget contains the appropriations for the electoral modernization program. On the other hand, the Comelec chief is optimistic Congress will still be able to approve the AVB when it resumes session this month after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Abalos gave February as the timetable for the bills approval and signing into law with which it can still be implemented in time for the 2004 national elections. He said Comelec will promptly set the registration of voters in countries with huge OFWs population as the poll body will also hold massive information and education campaign to ensure OFWs will elect their desired candidates. Meanwhile, opposition Sen. Edgardo Angara vowed to finish their work on the absentee voting measure in the first quarter of 2003 so the Comelec will have enough time to prepare for next years presidential polls.
Source: Riyadh Daily, 9 January 2003