The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait is all set for the upcoming Overseas Voting for Filipinos in Kuwait after the successful final testing and sealing of the Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) at the Philippine Embassy premises on Saturday. Filipinos in Kuwait who have registered at the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) can cast their votes in the midterm national elections wherein they will select 12 senators and one party list representative.
The Overseas Voting in Kuwait and across the globe will start on April 13 till May 13, 2019. “We are glad to inform everyone that all the five Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) are working perfectly and we have five more VCMs on standby just in case a VCM malfunctions to ensure a smooth conduct of the overseas voting in Kuwait,” stated Philippine Embassy Charge d’Affaires Mohd Noordin Pendosina Lomondot as he urged all duly registered voters to cast their votes.
The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait has surpassed its 22-month target and registered more than 96,000 Filipino overseas voters. “There are 96,350 registered voters in Kuwait and we are encouraging everyone to come to the embassy and vote. To those who have registered and can’t find their names on the COMELEC List of Overseas Voters, please come and see me so we can look into your case,” pointed out Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) Chair Esnairah Dansal, Registered voters may cast their votes from April 13 till May 13, 2019 including weekend except April 18-19, 2019 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, however, on the last day on May 13, 2019, the voting will be from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm only.
The Voting Centre will be on the ground floor at the Philippine Embassy in Al Siddeeq area. “To vote all registered overseas voters in Kuwait are advised to bring the Philippine passport or Civil ID, or any Philippine government-issued ID such as UMID, SSS ID, Driver’s License, PRC ID, OWWA or iDOLE, Voter’s ID and other valid Ids,” explained Dansal. Earlier, the embassy sent a delegation to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to attend an OV training conducted by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs – Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS) on March 18-20.
Foreign Service personnel had a training on how to perform their respective functions as members of the Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC), Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG), Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI), Canvas Consolidation System (CCS) Operators, and Vote Counting Machine (VCM) Operators.
“The intensive three-day training on the General Instructions in the conduct AES, which also includes the operation of the VCMs has definitely equipped the embassy’s personnel for the upcoming national elections,” stated Lomondot as he expressed hope for a good voter’s turnout in Kuwait. He added that the embassy will carry the DFA-OVS and COMELEC’s battle cry and slogan for this election period: “Let’s All Vote! Let’s Strengthen our Democracy. It’s Our Right and Duty.”
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