More than 600 Filipinos preparing to go abroad have been approved for overseas absentee voting after registering through a mobile desk stationed at the Commission on Filipinos Overseas in Pasay City.
Comelec’s Office for Overseas Voting director Ian Michael Geonanga formally informed CFO Chairperson Secretary Dante “Klink” Ang II of the approvals, citing the agency’s role in making the process more reachable for outbound citizens.
“The CFO’s support has been instrumental in ensuring accessible registration for Filipinos bound abroad,” Geonanga said.
The 632 applications were accepted between January 18 and March 31, with all submissions vetted by the Comelec Resident Election Registrations Board. The mobile desk was set up at the CFO main office specifically to reach Filipinos at a point of departure-related processing, an approach intended to address the historically lower registration rates recorded at embassies and consulates overseas.
To qualify under current Overseas Absentee Voting guidelines, an applicant must be a Filipino citizen, at least 18 years old on election day, and expected to be abroad during the voting period, provided no legal disqualification applies. Those registering at mobile booths or local conversion desks are required to show a valid Philippine passport, though a Seaman’s Book or a DFA or CFO certification of citizenship and upcoming departure may be accepted in its absence.
Dual citizens face an additional documentary requirement: they must present either the original or a certified true copy of the Order of Approval or the Identification Certificate issued by the Bureau of Immigration or a Philippine foreign post under Republic Act 9225.
Once added to the National Registry of Overseas Voters, approved registrants may vote for president, vice president, senators, and party-list representatives — typically over a month-long window before domestic election day, either by mail or in person at designated foreign service posts.
