Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
August 6, 2002
Absentee Voting Act can be exercised by
more than 7 million overseas Filipinos in the 2004 presidential election
======================================================
"It's about time that we give them
the right to vote,"
Thus declared by Senator Edgardo Angara
who said that strong bipartisan action had been taken to make sure that the
proposed Absentee Voting Act can be exercised by more than 7 million oversead
Filipino in the 2004 presidential election.
Angara,
chairman of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of
codes and laws and electoral reforms that is sponsoring the passage of the
measure, said that Senate President Franklin Drilon had pushed for specific
timeliness to make sure that the proposed act will apply in the 2004 election.
The
proposed act, a landmark legislation with bipartisan, bicameral support, is
being deliberated anew in line with the broad agreement hammered out Monday
that ended the leadership impasse in the Senate.
Angara
said he agrees with the specific timelines proposed by Drilon and he will
accept these as amendments to the proposed act, now being deliberated as Senate
Committee Report no. 39.
Angara
said the original timelines proposed by the committee report-though based on
deadlines that are to be met-were really designed for the 2004 election.
Angara
is now shepherding the passage of the important administration measure and he
is hopeful that the passage will be this week.
The
measure covers more than 7 million overseas Filipinos who have clamored for the
right to vote since Congress reconvened in 1987.
Under
the Committee Report, all overseas Filipinos who are qualified to vote will be vested with that right.
This
means all Filipinos who have not given up their citizenship, including green
card holding immigrants.
The
measure has relaxed its requirements on identification needed for registration,
a move to incorporate undocumented Filipinos-the tago ng tago-into the
electoral mainstream.
Angara
said the proposed measure also provides for the onsite counting and canvass of
votes, the dominant consensus of overseas Filipinos.
The
measure also proposes the accreditation of non-governmental organizations and
migrant groups to provide critical help to the Commission on Election
throughout the entire electoral process.///camille p. balagtas