During the Senate’s budget hearing, Senator Imee Marcos urged the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to extend overseas voter registration for two weekends in selected areas with the most unregistered Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) on Monday, October 18. 

Marcos made a proposal to “extend for at least two weekends in the most populous, and consulates with the most Filipinos, and allow our overseas workers to vote”.

“I just wanted to make an appeal on behalf of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) because their last day was last week, October 14. For some reason or another, they were not aware of that date or claim not to have been told and that they were believing, they were under the impression, that it was also October 30 overseas”, Marcos said. 

“We all know that the overseas voting takes place a month earlier than the local voting and that the Comelec needs time to prepare,” she added.

Marcos also included the confusion brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, several extensions, and travel difficulties of OFWs in her call to extend the voter’s registration period.

COMELEC recently extended voter registration from September 30 to October 30, while overseas voter registration was moved from October 1 to 14 after a Senate call. 

In response to this appeal, COMELEC Chairman Sheriff Abas said that the commission will discuss the proposed overseas voter registration extension in some areas. 

  “We will put it on the agenda this week. Paguusapan namin if kaya pa naming i-stretch,” Abas said.

He also agreed with Marcos’ proposal saying “it’s a good idea to cater only to their version of Metro Manila, the places where the most number of people have yet to register.”