Arroyo bill seeks to ease rules on absentee voting

MANILA, Philippines―Former president Macapagal-Arroyo has filed a bill seeking to amend the Overseas Absentee Voting Act to encourage more migrant Filipino workers to participate in the 2013 polls.

In House Bill No. 3001, Arroyo, now representative of the second district of Pampanga, wants to relax stringent provisions of Republic Act No. 9189, otherwise known as the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003.

The law, enacted during her term as president, provides for the systems and procedures by which Filipino citizens residing or working abroad can vote in an election.

The bill gives overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) more access to registration centers to be established in many parts of the world, said Arroyo.

Citing a report of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Arroyo said that the DFA spent a total of P112.71 million for the overseas absentee voters in 2004. A total of 89 registration centers were established abroad along with 44 posts in 154 areas for the purpose of field registration.

Of the total 364,187 overseas Filipinos who registered, only 233,092 cast their votes representing only 64 percent, she said. –Michael Lim Ubac, Philippine Daily Inquirer