Philippine officials reminded overseas Filipinos in the UAE to cast their ballots in the remaining days leading to May 9, in order to avoid long queues on the last day of the overseas absentee voting for the 2022 national elections.
With over 290,182 voters, the UAE ranks at the top of the numbers of registered overseas Filipino voters worldwide.
While the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has yet to release the official vote count, current numbers gathered from poll watchers here in the UAE project that voter turnout for 2022 will surpass that of the 2016 elections, where then-candidate Rodrigo Duterte amassed the majority vote amongst overseas Filipinos in the UAE.
Massive Turnout
The past three weeks saw many eager registered voters flock to the Philippine Embassy in the UAE’s capital of Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate of Dubai which covers voters from the rest of the six emirates. Both have streamlined protocols for overseas voting such as optimized durations ranging from 10-15 minutes per voter across all precincts.
“Ang Embassy sa Abu Dhabi at Consulate General sa Dubai ay nagagalak sa magandang turn-out sa pagboto sa nakaraang tatlong linggo. Para sa mga botante, naging kapansin-pansin ang maayos at banayad na proseso sa pagboto ngayong taong ito. Ako ay nagpapasalamat sa matibay na kooperasyon na ipinapakita ng ating mga kababayan sa UAE, isang pagpapatunay ng kanilang pag-galang sa karapatang pagboto ng bawat Pilipino saan man sila sa ibayong-dagat naroroon,” said Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, H.E. Amb Hjayceelyn Quintana.
Both missions have remained open throughout the 30-day period, with allotted timings even during the weekends and holidays here in the UAE amid the Ramadan period – which contributes to the anticipated increase in the number of Filipinos in the UAE who will cast their vote until the final day.
For his part, Consul General Renato Dueñas Jr. of Dubai reminds the voting public that there are only a few days left, and hopes that OFWs will take advantage of the consulate’s availability during the holidays and the weekends to vote.
“To all those registered overseas voters in Dubai and the Northern Emirates who have yet to cast their ballot, we only have a few days left before the final day of voting on May 9. So if you’re qualified to vote in the national elections in 2022, I strongly urge you to exercise your right to vote,” said Dueñas.
Authorities anticipate that more Filipinos will be heading out to vote as the May 9 deadline draws near. In the 2016 and 2019 elections, voters usually arrive at the last minute to try and catch up to vote.
However, both missions advise the public that voting precincts will only remain open until 3:00 pm on the final day of elections, in sync with the Philippines’ 7:00 pm closing.
Secure polls
COMELEC officials have assured the public that there’s no way for hackers to manipulate the polls for the 2022 elections.
This happened after a gang allegedly responsible for the data security breach involving Comelec technology company Smartmatic was apprehended in mid-April.
Comelec commissioner Marlon Casquejo made the assurance following the arrest of three hackers who claimed they could break into the commission’s system and alter the outcome of the 2022 elections.
“Kahit ano pang gawin nila (Whatever they do), they cannot manipulate the results of the elections. That is how secure our system [is] when it comes to our elections,” Casquejo said.
“Kahit pa may sinasabing allegations that they are working or getting information from any of the employees of the Comelec, useless po yun,” he added.
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) Executive Director Undersecretary Cezar Mancao II said that the hackers claimed to have managed to gain access to registered voters’ data.
“Itong mga nahuli, they are scammers. Meaning, they are pretending to know the system, pretending they can hack the system when in fact, hindi nila kayang gawin yun. Kahit sino hindi kayang gawin ‘yun,” Casquejo said.
