March 6, 2023
Government to set up Voter Registration Centers for seafarers in select sites abroad
The Philippine Government, led by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), and the Commission on Elections (Comelec), is gearing up toward the 2025 mid-term elections. This is in order not to disenfranchise the hundreds of thousands of Filipino seafarers onboard international-going ships with their Right to Suffrage. On Thursday, the Marina, Comelec, along with other related government institutions like the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Migrant Workers forged an Agreement to establish Voter Registration Centers for overseas voters including seafarers. The Centers will operate until September 30, 2024, to ensure the continuous registration of qualified overseas Filipino voters. “We definitely have one aim or hope in mind — that is, they [overseas voters] will be able to exercise their right to suffrage come the 2025 National and Local Elections wherever they may be or whatever seas their ships may sail, their votes will be counted,” Marina Deputy Administrator for Operations Nannette V. Dinopol said.
