Despite delays, OAV turnout in PHL Consulate in Jeddah among highest so far

The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah is among the top 10 in overseas absentee voting (OAV) turnout in the Middle East and Africa despite a five-day delay in the start of the voting, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday. In a statement, the DFA said the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah ranked eighth, with voter turnout expected to pick up in the coming days because of a contingency plan in place. "[A] contingency plan in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat and the Commission on Elections’ Committee on Absentee Voting [will] compensate for the delay," the DFA said. The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh leads with the most number of overseas voters so far, with 1,690. The Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Al Khobar follows with 803, and then Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi with 700. The top 10 in overseas voting turnout in Middle East and Africa posts so far are: 1) Philippine Embassy Riyadh -- 1,690 2) Philippine Overseas Labor Office Al Khobar -- 803 3) Philippine Embassy Abu Dhabi PE -- 700 4) Philippine Consulate General  Dubai -- 680 5) Philippine Embassy Doha -- 499 6) Philippine Embassy Kuwait -- 375 7) Philippine Embassy Manama -- 356 8) Philippine Consulate General  Jeddah -- 354 9) Philippine Consulate General -- Beirut 240 10) Philippine Consulate General  Amman -- 189 Absentee voting for Filipinos in Jeddah was delayed because of the late arrival of ballot boxes and other election paraphernalia. Voting started there on April 18. According to government records, there are 30,328 Filipino voters in Jeddah. The Consulate there is among the seven Foreign Service Posts that are using the Automated Election System (AES). Other posts using the AES are Hong Kong, Riyadh, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. Meanwhile, the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong is adopting a temporary work schedule during the month-long overseas absentee voting (OAV) period that will end on May 13. In an announcement posted on its website late Tuesday, the Consulate General said it will be closed on Saturday and Sunday from April 13 to May 12. It will also be closed on May 1, Labor Day, a Philippine holiday, and on May 13, Election Day. "Consulate staff will be at the Bayanihan Center for overseas voting services. Overseas voting is from April 13 to May 13, Bayanihan Center, Kennedy Town," it said. On the other hand, it said that under the temporary schedule, it will be open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from April 12 to May 10. Visa applications will be processed Monday to Thursdays, and National Bureau of Investigation fingerprint services on Fridays. The issuance of Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs) will be at the consulate Mondays to Thursdays, and at the Bayanihan Center on Sundays. Around some 11,000 or only slightly more than one percent of total registered voters abroad have cast their ballots so far during the first week of overseas absentee voting, mostly from the Asia Pacific region. Based on Commission on Elections and DFA records, a total of 988,384 Filipinos abroad are registered as overseas voters for this year's elections. — Gian Geronimo/KBK, GMA News