By Raynald C Rivera
DOHA: It was still dark when Jose Palarca left his accommodation in Industrial Area in the wee hours yesterday.
Aboard company transport, he went not for the usual start of his shift but to the Philippine Embassy to take part in the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV).
Palarca, who works as a security guard here for 10 years now, was the first to vote in the month-long OAV which began yesterday and coincidentally fell on “Araw ng Kagitingan” (Day of Valour) – a Philippine national holiday.
“I was already here at 5.30am because I want my vote counted. This is important to me for the future of my children. This is a new opportunity for us to choose a new president,” said Palarca, who also voted in the last midterm elections of 2013.
The last OAV saw very low turnout in many countries where it was held. In Qatar only 2,800 out of 23,260 registered Filipino voters in 2013 voted in the last elections.
The Philippine Embassy is optimistic the number will increase during these elections. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set an ambitious target of 80 percent turnout up from the 20 percent in the previous elections.
“It is doable as long as all the registered voters will go out and vote,” said Ambassador Wilfredo C Santos. This year’s vote is important as Overseas Filipino voters will be able to vote to choose the president, vice-president, senators and party-list representatives.
There are around 40,000 registered voters in Qatar at this year’s polls.
With the embassy’s efforts to conduct mobile registrations during weekends, it surpassed the target number of new registrants of 16,000 recording a total of 17,500 as registration ended in October last year.
“I think it (80 percent target turnout) is possible because this is the first time that social media will play a significant role in the elections. I think our people are connected through the social media sites like Facebook that will allow them to be informed of the platforms of the candidates that will allow them good choice in their candidates for these positions,” said Ambassador Santos.
“Even if we don’t reach the target, the important thing is we go beyond the usual turnout rate of 20 percent and if we do that, then it is a positive sign that the Filipino overseas voters are more cognizant of the elections as an important way for them to contribute to the future of our country,” said Ambassador Santos.
During the election period, the embassy will be open every day to receive voters, from 8am to 5pm from Sunday to Thursday and from 9am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday. Overseas Absentee voting ends at noon on May 9.
To cast vote, a registered voter must present either his passport or his Qatar ID for verification.
The Peninsula
