Filipinos in U.S. Highest Registrants for 2010 Overseas Voting

MANILA, June 5 - Filipinos in the United States have so far led this year's overseas registration for the 2010 national elections with a total 15,728 registrants, its biggest chunk of 5,827 enlisting with the Los Angeles consulate-general.

The over-all total from four world regions and two Metro Manila-based centers is 93,310. Despite the U.S. lead by country, the Asia-Pacific is the over-all regional leader with 25,640 Filipinos in the region registering.

This was reported today by the Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA-OAVS), which opened another OAV registration center at the headquarters of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) in Paco district, Manila.

A total 9,900 China-based Filipinos, practically all of them in Hong Kong at 9,254, also registered, making China the second-ranking OAV registration center, country-wise.

On Thursday, CFO Chairman Dante Ang, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Nicodemo T. Ferrer and DFA-OAVS Vice Chairman Nestor Padalhin cut the ceremonial ribbon at the CFO opening and signed an agreement aimed at "further strengthening the overseas registration process and bring it to Filipino permanent migrants or permanent residents abroad."

The OAV center at the CFO is the third to be set up within the Philippines. The previous ones were installed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)

CFO clientele includes Filipino permanent migrants or permanent residents abroad, Filipinos overseas who have become citizens of other countries, and Filipino spouses and fiancées of foreign nationals leaving the country, according to DFA.

The Americas-mainland U.S., Canada, Hawaii, Saipan, Guam, South and Central America, among others--reported 19,526 registrants. The Middle East--UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Israel,v Qatar, Jordan and Libya--reported 15,789. Europe--United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Austria-gathered 11,772, NAIA 7,934 and POEA 12,649.

The leading registration center in Europe is London at 3,909, and in the Middle East it is Dubai with 4,752 registrants.

For the first time since OAV registration centers were installed in Philippine embassies or consulates abroad, six diplomatic posts were added this year as registration centers. These are Barcelona in Spain, which enlisted 1,183 registrants, Oslo in Norway with 521 registrants, Macau and Chongqing in China, Damascus in Syria, and Frankfurt in Germany. The rest of the new posts recorded 475 Filipinos.

Registration period ends on August 31 this year. (PNA)