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Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes lauded the Filipinos who made time to participate in the polls during the monthlong exercise. Image Credit: Supplied
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Dubai: Almost a thousand last-minute voters flocked to the Philippine Consulate-General in Dubai to cast their votes on the last day of the midterm elections on Monday.


Partial, unofficial

List of the top 12 in Dubai overseas Filipino voting shows Bato dela Rosa and Bong Go, two of the staunchest allies of President Duterte, are leading the pack. None of the main opposition (Liberal Party) candidates have made it to the Magic 12 for the Philippine Senatorial race in Dubai so far.

  1. Bato Dela Rosa (PDP-Laban) – 12,724
  2. Bong Go (PDP-Laban) – 12,268
  3. Imee Marcos (Nacionalista Party) – 11,662
  4. Pia Cayetano (Nacionalista Party) – 11,290
  5. Cynthia Villar (Nacionalista Party) – 10,073
  6. Francis Tolentino (PDP-Laban) – 9,304
  7. Edgardo Sonny Angara (LDP) – 7071
  8. Grace Poe (Independent) – 6,007
  9. Koko Pimentel (PDP-Laban) – 5,697
  10. Raffy Alunan (Bagumbayan Volunteers for New Philippines) – 4,829
  11. JV Ejercito (Nationalist People's Coalition) – 3,448
  12. Nancy Binay (United Nationalist Alliance) – 2,774

*These are based on 22 election returns in Dubai, partial and unofficial.


Overnight counting

Counting of election returns in the UAE would continue overnight as poll officials must follow procedures, Gulf News has learnt.


Pro-Duterte candidates grab most of 12 Senate slots

Pro-Duterte candidates have grabbed at least 9 out of the 12 Senate seats, Gulf News learnt as of 9pm on Monday, May 13.

Gulf News learnt that as of 9pm on Monday, counting of election returns in the UAE would continue overnight as poll officials must follow procedures.


Bato, Go, Imee take lead

As of 5pm, Christoper Lawrence “Bong” Go, Ronaldo “Bato” Dela Rosa, and Imee Marcos received the highest votes for those running for the senate. ACT CIS, a party-list outfit of Tulfo media brothers, and AA Kasosyo, of controversial former assistant secretary Mocha Uson, were leading in the party-list race as of 5pm.

Some 988 last-minute voters managed to make it to the polls in Dubai.

This brought the total voter turnout to 28,487 or 13.57 per cent of the 209,862 registered voters in Dubai and the northern emirates during the 31-day elections in Dubai.

The midterm elections ended on Monday at 2pm UAE time, coinciding with the closing of the polls in the Philippines.

13 .57%

total expat Filipino voter turnout — 28,487 out of the 209,862 registered voters in Dubai and the northern emirates during the 31-day voting period

The percentage of Filipino voter turnout in Dubai this year doubled from 6.35 per cent or 3,545 of the 55,842 registered voters in the midterm elections in 2013.

On Monday, voter turnout at the Philippine embassy in Abu Dhabi was much higher than Dubai's, at 14.48 per cent, or 15,783 out of 109,000 registered voters.

14 .48%

Voter turnout at the Philippine embassy in Abu Dhabi — or 15,783 out of 109,000 registered voters.

Last-minute voter

Sales and marketing executive Reynald Duerme scrambled to the gate seconds before the clock struck 2pm in time for the closing of the polling precincts.

I asked my boss to let me leave work early and he did. I’m glad I made it. It’s my responsibility as a Filipino to vote and that’s what I intended to do.

- Filipino voter Reynald Duerme

“I asked my boss to let me leave work early and he did. I’m glad I made it. It’s my responsibility as a Filipino to vote and that’s what I intended to do,” Duerme, 31, told Gulf News.

Among those who also came on the last day was Arnie Trinidad, a music teacher.

“I honestly thought the polls would close at 6pm UAE time, not Philippine time. When we reached the consulate five minutes before 2pm, I breathed a sigh of relief because we at least had a chance to exercise our right to suffrage.”

Milo Torres, an artist, said he intentionally cast his vote on the last day because it took him a while to complete his list of 12 senators and one party-list.

Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes lauded the Filipinos who made time to participate in the polls during the monthlong exercise.

Braving the sun, afternoon heat

“We still had a good number of people who were very enthusiastic and had no qualms about braving the sun or the afternoon heat to come on their rest days to the consulate to cast their vote,” Cortes said.

He also thanked the 47 consulate staff and volunteers who worked for approximately 619 hours, including on weekends, to make the elections accessible to as many Filipinos as possible.

Go, Bato, Marcos leading overseas vote in Dubai As of 5pm, Christoper Lawrence “Bong” Go, Ronaldo “Bato” Dela Rosa, and Imee Marcos received the highest votes for those running for the senate. ACT CIS and AA Kasosyo were leading in the party-list race as of 5pm.

Officials expect to conclude the counting of election returns by late Monday night or early morning Tuesday.

Results will be sent to the Philippine Embassy for consolidation and then to the Commission on Elections in Manila.