Help extended to registered Filipino voters in Northern Emirates

The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai has calendared two support activities in connection with the historic selective implementation of the April 13 to May 12 General/MidTerm Elections online voting for the 1,241,690 Commission on Elections (Comelec)-registered overseas Filipinos worldwide.

These support activities, basically the extension of assistance to the registered voters on the enrolment procedures, over the official Comelec overseas voting enrolment portal of ov.comelec.gov.ph/enroll, have been included in the two Saturdays of April 12 and May 3 consular missions in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) and Ajman, respectively. Both are in partnership with the Migrant Workers’ Office-Dubai.

The consular mission in Ajman shall be servicing as well Filipino residents in Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.

“The consular missions are a response to the numerous requests from our kababayans (countrymen) across the Northern Emirates to bring consular services closer to them. We encourage them to stay informed by regularly checking our official website and social media pages for announcements and guidelines,” said Consul General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates Marford Angeles on Wednesday.

Necessary permits from the UAE authorities and the necessary funding from the Philippine Government have been secured.

The official Comelec Overseas Online Voting infomercial has identified those who need online voting enrolment assistance as the “illiterate, people with disabilities, senior citizens and pregnant.”

They must present before Comelec-designated diplomatic and consular mission staff, either their valid Philippine Passport, Seaman’s Book, Philippine Identification System Number or Driver’s License. In its Facebook Page, the Philippine Consulate General-Dubai, reminds those who need online voting enrolment assistance to bring along “their actual passport.”

“Applicants must be prepared to upload a copy of their passport and Emirates Identification Card.”

On the RAK consular mission services, that include passport renewal, notarial services, civil registration, report of marriage, legal capacity to contract marriage, job contract verification, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration/Social Security System/PagIBIG Fund membership or renewal, and Assistance to Nationals, the concerned are required to register over bit.ly/2025RAKKaraban.

The registrants shall receive “an email with instructions on completing the application process and required forms.” They are encouraged to attend the 9:30am Financial Literacy Seminar and the 1:30pm Town Hall Meeting at the Garden Inn Hotel.

On the month-long overseas voting, Angeles said: “Voting is a right that every Filipino should exercise, the clearest and most concrete expression of a citizen’s will, by choosing the leaders that will determine the future of our nation. To me, voting is also every citizen’s duty and responsibility, one’s contribution, an exercise of the power we have as a people in a democratic system.”

“While in the past, the logistical challenge of having to personally come to the Embassy or the Consulate to cast votes contributed to low voter turnout, Filipinos in the UAE can now take part in online voting and cast their vote in the comfort of their own homes using their mobile phones and devices,” he added.

From the March 20 hybrid “Philippine Embassy-Abu Dhabi/Philippine Consulate General-Dubai Joint Comelec Online Voting Community Briefing” with Comelec-Voting director Atty. Ian Michael Geonaga, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ferdinand Ver noted that of the 2022 Presidential Elections 291,000-registered voters, only 97,000 (one-third) were able to exercise their right to suffrage.

Angeles said: “We strongly encourage all eligible Filipino voters in RAK and the UAE to take advantage of this vital opportunity to make their voices heard and contribute meaningfully to our democratic process.”

According to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs-Dubai 2016 data, approximately 15,000 Filipinos are RAK-visa-ed. From the April 2024 RAK consular mission data, the largest concentration of Filipinos living in the emirate came from the office sector (20%), education and training (17.6%), restaurant and food services (17%), and retail (13%), healthcare (10%), spa and wellness (8.5%), domestic work (7.3%), cleaning services (4.5%), and government (0.5%).

“These figures suggest that Filipinos in RAK are employed across various industries, with notable presence in professional and service-oriented roles. The diversity of employment highlights the integral role Filipinos play in supporting the emirate’s economic and social infrastructure,” said Angeles.