No extension for overseas voting amid late deliveries
MANILA — The Commission on Elections on Thursday said that it will not extend the voting period for Filipinos abroad, maintaining that all votes must be in by May 9, Philippine time.
This is despite election paraphernalia arriving late in some Philippine foreign service posts, which also delayed the mailing of ballots to voters.
“All ballots must be in by May 9 because the counting will have to start even overseas by May 9, exactly whatever is the time there, it should exactly start by 8 p.m.,” Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said during the virtual Pandesal Forum hosted by the Kamuning Bakery Cafe.
Overseas Filipinos had a month to cast their ballots, either personally at foreign service posts or by postal voting.
Canada-based Filipinos previously said they requested that the Comelec accept mailin ballots postmarked before May 9 because some election packets were mailed out a few days after overseas voting started. Overseas voters in Los Angeles also requested an extension, according to an ABS-CBN report last week.
“Kung late matanggap ‘yung mga balota nila tapos syempre late din nilang naipadala (If they received their ballots late and of course, they would send them in late too) then everything must be in by May 9… At this point, we cannot really grant an extension,” Garcia said, adding that the constitution provides that elections must be conducted by the second Monday of May.
VOTING ON-SITE
On Monday this week, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs Brigido “Dodo” Dulay said overseas Filipinos allowed to vote by mail only may cast their ballots personally at Philippine foreign service posts if they have not yet received their mail-in ballots.
The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Vancouver has released guidelines for in-person voting.
Meanwhile, the New York consulate on Thursday said it “strongly advises” registered voters under their jurisdiction to either personally drop off their ballots at the PCG or if they have not yet received their mail-in ballots, the consulate provided requirements for those who wish to cast their votes on-site instead.
In a response to a frustrated Filipino voter in the comments section of its requirements advisory, the PCG in New York said that it has been “trying [their] best to make sure that all kababayan qualified to vote are able to do so.”
“We did everything we can to get all the ballots out to our kababayan as fast as we could despite the delay in the arrival of the ballots and a COVID outbreak that sidelined most of us,” the consulate said.