MILAN, Italy. Registering 1 million overseas absentee voters. This is the main goal of Commission on Elections in the recently concluded overseas absentee voting registration training held recently at the Palazzo delle Stelline here.
The three-day OAV training was attended by 53 participants from 26 European and 1 Middle Eastern foreign service posts.
It was supervised by Commissioners Rene Sarmiento and Armando Velasco, who is also the Chairman of the Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting.
The first two days were centered to theories and lectures while the third day to hands-on training.
Consul General Lourdes Tabamo welcomed the Comelec officials and participants. She also thanked the Comelec for the opportunity to host the regional training.
On his opening remarks, Sarmiento emphasized the need to encourage the overseases Filipino workers (OFWs) to vote.
He also stressed the need to motivate overseas Filipino voters to greater participation and well representation in the country’s political process.
Senator Gringo Honasan and Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Rodel Batocabe visited the training and addressed the participants on the third day.
Batocabe, who is part of the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms and heads the Technical Working Group on the Amendment of the OAV Law also spoke at the training.
Certificates of appreciation from the Comelec were awarded to the participants during the closing ceremony which was also attended by Commissioners Sarmiento and Velasco.
The OAV registration regional training was part of the Comelec’s priority preparations for the next computerized polls in 2013. (Zita Baron)
