Ballots already sent to Filipino voters in Canada

Election packets containing ballots have already been sent directly to Filipino voters in Canada, the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Canada said in its website, as part of moves to prepare for the May 10 elections. Recipients include voters whose mailing addresses were indicated in the Overseas Absentee Form, the PCG in Canada said. The consulate also reminded registered overseas voters who have not received the packet to get in touch with its office. Voters may contact PCG personnel Evangeline Cayongcat or Emma Manrique at telephone number 416-922-7181. They may also send in their current mailing address and telephone number through torontopcg@gmail.com. The PCG likewise informed voters that the following will invalidate their ballots: using any envelope other than the officially prescribed envelope of the Comelec; failure to affix signature in the space provided on the Official Ballot Envelope; and if mails were received after 6:00 p.m. (Philippine time) on May 10. For undelivered and returned election packets, voters will need to present before the consulate a valid passport or any identification with photo and signature to personally claim their ballots in case these are not delivered through the Canada Postal Service. The Commission on Elections earlier clarified with the Department of Foreign Affairs that registered overseas absentee voters who are personally voting will not be required to present the Comelec-issued Voter’s Identification Card. A voter needs only to be in the certified list of overseas absentee voters and must present a secondary identification document, the Comelec clarified. The document may be a valid Philippine passport or any identification card with photo and signature. There are 589,830 overseas Filipinos registered for the overseas absentee voting, which will run from April 10 to May 10. Based on records from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, there are over 600,000 Filipinos in Canada, majority of whom are permanent residents. The country allows dual citizenship. - GMANews.TV