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THE Philippine Embassy in Rome has obtained clearance from the DFA-Abroad Voting Secretariat to open the Embassy premises for OFW registered voters who want to replenish and return their ballots on the identical day to the diplomatic put up, regardless of a system of mail-in ballots for that space.
The clearance is necessary to the OFWs, a few of whom earlier complained about being “shooed away” on Sunday by embassy employees after they tried to replenish their ballots on the spot after selecting them up, as a substitute of going residence, after which mailing them again later.
“The general public is notified that the DFA-OVS licensed immediately the Embassy to arrange an area within the Embassy premises the place voters, who beforehand communicated to the Embassy their intention to personally declare their poll earlier than the deadline, can declare their mailing packets to perform their ballots and return the ballots on the Embassy on the identical day,” the Embassy mentioned in an announcement.
The Embassy additionally suggested they are going to be open throughout Holy Week to cater to OFWs who want to declare their ballots in particular person.
Through the press convention of PDP-Laban Sunday, a Filipina registered voter confirmed a video of OFWs shading their ballots exterior The Philippine Chancery in Rome.
“Napaganda po ng ating Philippine Embassy sa Rome, napakalaki. Ang di namin maintindihan, kaming mga bumuboto wala po kaming place para fill-up-an ang aming mga boto. Pagkakuha ng kanilang balota, lalabas pa sila ng Embassy at saka dun sila mag-fill up. Tumatawid sila dun sa might gilid ng hospital, sa tapat ng Embassy,” Daisy Villanueva Solomon mentioned throughout a videocall proven dwell.
[Our embassy in Rome is beautiful and quite big. What we cannot understand is why us voters cannot have space to fill up our ballots. After getting their ballots, OFWs must step outside the embassy and fill up there. They must cross near the hospital, across the Embassy].
One other Filipina, Luisita Raquel Garcia, posted on Fb {that a} employees of The Philippine Embassy allegedly shooed her away from the gates of the Chancery. She mentioned she sat on the chair of the Chancery’s safety guard to fill out her poll.
“I mentioned I’m a most cancers affected person however a person from the embassy shooed me away. The safety guard then moved his chair away from me as a result of the employees was getting upset, Due to the uncomfortable side effects of my medicines, I wasn’t feeling effectively, however I used to be pressured to step out onto the sidewalk and stood there to shade [my ballot],” Garcia wrote, partly in Filipino.
Filipinos in Italy are purported to solid their votes by mail-in ballots. The Embassy in Rome or the Consulate Common in Milan will mail the ballots to their registered addresses after which the OFWs will ship their ballots again to the Embassy or Consulate by way of mail.
Those that opted to say their ballots in particular person on the Embassy might achieve this earlier than the deadline on April 17.
Nevertheless, those that claimed their ballots final Sunday apparently determined to solid their votes proper there.
Dubai, UAE
The Philippine Consulate Common in Dubai, in the meantime, has warned Filipinos working within the United Arab Emirates that they are often imprisoned for spreading pretend information even when it considerations the elections within the Philippines.
“The Consulate strongly advises the general public in opposition to posting and/or spreading unverified and/or unsubstantiated allegations on-line, whether or not on social media and messaging functions, as these are prohibited underneath UAE legal guidelines,” the Consulate mentioned.
The assertion was posted on the Consulate’s Fb account because the Consulate dispelled rumors {that a} voter in Dubai found a pre-shaded poll. “The Consulate firmly denies this. No such incident or something remotely comparable or occurred was reported,” it mentioned.
Spreading rumors or publishing false information in UAE is punishable by one yr in jail and a positive of Dh100,000 (P1.4 million).
Singapore’s case
Earlier, a Filipina information scientist based mostly in Singapore claimed she received a “pre-shaded” poll when she voted Monday on the Philippine Embassy within the city-state.
The Embassy instantly clarified that the poll given to Filipino registered voter Cheryl Abundo was not pre-shaded however fairly a “spoiled poll” from one of many voters final Sunday, the primary day of abroad absentee voting for 2022 presidential elections.
“The Embassy is conscious of just one incident the place one spoiled poll from yesterday’s voting train was inadvertently and unintentionally given to a voter this morning,” the Embassy mentioned in an announcement.
Enterprise Mirror reached out to Abundo by her Fb account person “Cheryl Ab” and she or he agreed to publish her put up and determine her. Abundo was once a scholar in Singapore and now works as an information scientist within the city-state.
From the start of her put up, Abundo acknowledged that the incident “may very well be an trustworthy mistake” however she determined to put up this incident for the Filipino voters to be vigilant of their votes.
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