By CHERRY JOY VENILES
A decade after Overseas Absentee Voting for Filipinos residing abroad was signed into law, many remain skeptical regarding the practicality and value of mounting a campaign to bring in the overseas Filipino vote.
But with more than 10 million Filipinos overseas in 200 countries and $23 billion in remittances for 2012 alone, the importance of the Filipino migrants sector’s voice in both congress and the executive branch of government cannot be disregarded.
According to the Commission on Elections, the region with the highest number of overseas absentee voters is the Middle East (281,372), followed by Asia (228,309), the Americas (125,604), Europe (75,666) and seafarers (26,808).
The overseas voting period for the 2013 polls started on Apr. 13 and will end on May 13. Here is a five-step guide to hassle-free voting for our absentee voters.
