As the overseas voting registration concluded on Monday, September 30, the Philippine Embassy in the UAE has recorded at least 12,600 newly registered voters in Abu Dhabi for the 2025 midterm elections, an official said.
The figure is expected to increase as the total number of registered voters will be finalized next month after the Resident Election Registration Board (RERB) hearing, said Vice Consul Kevin Mark R. Gomez of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi.
“As of 4:15 PM and still counting, mayroon na po tayong at least 12,600 additional registered voters dito sa Abu Dhabi and we are expecting that the numbers will go up as soon as matapos namin at ma-tally namin lahat ‘yan,” Gomez said in an interview on the final day of registration.
He added that at least 120 applicants registered for the overseas voting during the last day, an increase from their daily average of 20 to 50 applicants.
Gomez also expressed support for the pilot online voting mechanism to be implemented in the next year’s elections.
While specific details are still pending, he assured that it would introduce many innovative changes in the voting process, he said.
“Itong online voting in particular, malakas ang aming suporta dito dahil we understand, especially para sa mga kababayan nating OFW, malaking tulong po ‘yon kasi it means hindi na nila kailangang lumiban sa kanilang mga trabaho,” Gomez said.
“This is also going to be the first time we are going to get the full use of modern technology para ma-express nila yung kanilang right na bumoto,” he added.
