Philippines elections in Oman smooth and successful
The polling process for the Philippines national elections in the Sultanate of Oman was generally peaceful, according to the Philippines Ambassador Imelda B Panolong.
“The month-long election process in the Sultanate of Oman was generally peaceful, quiet and successful,” the ambassador said.
The Philippines overseas voting started on April 10 and ended at 3PM on Monday (May 9), the election day in the Philippines.
With a turnout of more than 37 per cent or more than 8,000 of the 22,680 registered voters in the Sultanate of Oman, the said percentage is considered huge compared to voter turnout in other countries. It also surpassed the voter turnout during the 2019 mid-term elections and presidential elections in 2016, where only 33 per cent of the registered voters cast their ballots.
“The field voting held in Salalah, Duqm, Suhar, Buraimi, and Musandam helped increase the voter turnout,” the ambassador said. “Filipinos in Musandam, mostly frontline workers, are very passionate in their desire to vote, so we decided to conduct field voting there. We don’t want anybody to be disenfranchised,” the ambassador added.
Meanwhile, only a handful came to the embassy to vote on the last day of the elections. “Our community listened to our campaign prior to the start of the election, where we told them not to wait for the last week. So they came in the first three weeks of the elections. Also, many came during the holidays and during the weekends,” Ambassador Panolong said.
Meanwhile, Lorbillaine Lukman, a poll watcher and Chairperson of party-list AKO OFW and Vice-president of PDP Laban Oman, noticed very few Filipinos went to the embassy to cast their votes.
“Maybe because it is a working day, and most of them came during the week-long Eid holidays, and during weekends, she said.
“The election process in the Sultanate of Oman is very peaceful and smooth. There was no fighting between the political parties and the voters,” she added.
Salvador Verdejo, a poll watcher and a representative of Liberal Party, said the election was generally harmonious and orderly. He witnessed some problems, but these were negligible — like bringing campaign paraphernalia and campaigning within the premises of the embassy — which were immediately corrected.
Mary Nissa Imbat, a physiotherapist and among the last to cast a vote, said the last day of the election was wellorganised and peaceful. She said she is looking for a leader who has compassion for the overseas Filipino workers.
“On behalf of the Philippine Embassy, including our labour office, I am very happy with the turnout of our votes. We exceeded the 2019 midterm elections and the 2016 presidential elections. It doesn’t matter who they voted for. What’s important is that they exercised their right of suffrage,” the ambassador added.