BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: The Philippine embassy yesterday launched iRehistro, an online system for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to fill out application to register as voters in national elections next year.
The facility is expected to expedite registration and increase the number of overseas voters.
Overseas absentee voting has witnessed poor turnout in previous elections. In 2013 mid-term polls, 32,382 of 281,201 registered voters in the Middle East took part,
In Qatar, 2,800 of 23,260 voters exercised franchise — some 10 percent of the Filipino population.
The embassy targets 16,000 new voters but since registration started on May 6 last year, only a little more than 7,000 have registered, with less than five months to go before registration closes.
As accessibility has been a major cause for low turnout for registration, the embassy has conducted 29 mobile registration campaigns to reach out to its nationals.
Ambassador Wilfredo C Santos called on compatriots to register and take part in charting the future course of their country. “You want change in your country. This is the best way. Through this mechanism you can select future leaders to run it for the next few years,” he told representatives of Filipino organisations during a meeting at the embassy. This is voluntary but it is your obligation as citizens to register and cast votes. I hope you will participate for the future of our country,” he stressed.
Since Santos assumed his position last month, he has introduced improvements in embassy services, including designating two processing areas for consular services.
“The aim is to decongest the embassy and make it easier for you to do your transactions,” he said, adding the embassy will soon have two more data capturing machines for passports to be used in mobile missions to reach out to more Filipinos.
Maps of tourist destinations as well as investment opportunities in the Philippines have been prominently displayed in hallways as part of efforts to promote the country in the areas of tourism and business.
Embassy space has been maximised by rearranging the layout of rooms and adding a receiving area which includes a library.
The meeting included updates on preparations for Philippine Independence Day and presentation of certificates of recognition to six new Filipino organisations, bringing the total to 156. The Peninsula
