Philippine Consul General Theresa S.M. Lazaro (behind podium) welcomes the Filipino Community leaders in Barcelona, as well as the officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Commission on Elections as Barcelona hosts the information drive on the online voting and counting system for overseas Filipino voters, on 07 July 2024 at Hotel NH-Collection (Photo by Barcelona PCG)
BARCELONA, 08 July 2024 – The Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona yet again successfully hosted a Training for Filipino Community Leaders, this time about the first-ever online voting and counting system (OVCS), provided by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), on 07 July 2024 at Hotel NH-Collection in Barcelona city.
Participated by around 85 Filipino community leaders from Catalunya, Valencia, Islas Baleares, as well as the Principality of Andorra, the training provided the legal basis, the security features, and implementation timeline for OVCS -- a mode that is expected to bolster overseas voters’ turnout in the upcoming midterm elections in May 2025.
“We recognize that many of our kababayans abroad live miles from the Philippine Embassies or Consulates in their respective areas, or their work commitments leave them no time to register or vote in the election. By adopting new technologies, through OVCS, with careful consideration to maintaining election integrity, our kababayans can now participate in the election anytime within the election period, wherever they may be,” said COMELEC Commissioner Marlon Casquejo.
COMELEC inked an agreement with the joint venture of SMS Global Technologies Inc. and Sequent Tech Inc. on 25 June 2024 for the historic OVCS for Filipino overseas voting.
Representatives from SMS Global Technologies Inc. and Sequent Tech Inc. attended the OVCS information drive and demonstrated how overseas Filipinos can pre-enroll and vote online. The online portal, which will be promoted to all registered overseas voters, requires users to pre-enroll by providing basic information, such as name, email address, password, phone number, and identification card. Live photo capture will also be part of the authentication and verification process.
The pre-enrollment period for the OVCS will commence on 12 February 2025 for registered overseas voters. “Wherever there is internet access, pre-enrollment can be done by registered or active overseas voters. They may also pre-enroll through dedicated kiosks at Philippine embassies and consulates, or during consular outreach events,” highlighted COMELEC Commissioner Nelson Celis.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs Jesus Domingo emphasized the importance of the Filipino community, particularly its leaders, in the success of the first-ever online voting system. “Your presence at this training demonstrates your commitment to our call for a Bagong Pilipinas. Yet, we must realize that only by registering as overseas voters can we participate in the first-ever OVCS.”
Philippine Consul General to Barcelona Maria Theresa Santa Maria Lazaro called on participants to actively support and promote the OVCS campaign, emphasizing its critical role in ensuring a high voter turnout and robust electoral participation in Barcelona, regardless of the Filipinos migrant status, for the upcoming midterm elections. In the 2022 elections, Barcelona had an overseas voter turnout of 51 percent, significantly higher than the total overseas turnout of 38 percent.
Commissioner Casquejo also announced that Filipino voters in Barcelona, Valencia, Aragon, and Islas Baleares, who remain registered under the Philippine Embassy in Madrid and have not changed their address since the reopening of the Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona in 2021, will have their registrations transferred administratively from Madrid to Barcelona by COMELEC.
The Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona aims to register over 10,000 overseas voters, including transfers, by the end of the voter registration period in September 2024. The Consulate is one of 76 foreign service posts (embassies and consulates) that will implement the OVCS in the 2025 Philippine midterm elections.
Around 85 Filipino community leaders, including members of the local media, participated in the OVCS information drive. It was also in Barcelona during the Training for Filipino Community Leaders in November 2023 that the online voting system for overseas voters was announced by COMELEC. (Photo by Barcelona PCG)
Representatives from Sequent Tech Inc., US-based firm, attended the OVCS training and demonstrated how overseas Filipinos can pre-enroll and vote online. The Sequent Tech. Inc, with a joint venture with SMS Global Technologies Inc. won the bid in Manila for the procurement of OVCS for the upcoming 2025 midterm elections. (Photo by Barcelona PCG)