OFWs threaten election boycott of ruling party

An organisation of overseas Filipinos yesterday warned of a boycott of ruling party candidates in the 2004 polls if lawmakers insist that members of House of Representatives cannot be elected by Philippine nationals based abroad.

"President Gloria Arroyo must not expect any votes from Filipinos abroad, especially if she continues to undermine their right to complete suffrage," said Migrante International secretary general, Poe Gratela.

Migrante claims to have thousands of members from the ranks of overseas Filipino workers and Philippine nationals based abroad.

Gratela noted that Migrante International will call on member organisations worldwide to campaign against administration candidates during its upcoming third Congress from December 16 to 20.

"We will actively campaign to convince Filipinos abroad not to vote for administration candidates. After all, they have been bearing the brunt of President Gloria Arroyo's oppressive economic policies." Gratela said.

Migrante has been closely identified with the political left and has always been anti-government.

Both chambers of Congress have passed separate versions of the bill - Senate Bill 2104 and House Bill 3570 - and a bicameral conference committee is still working to consolidate the two bills.

A final draft, which is expected by early next month, will be signed into law immediately, Arroyo promised earlier.

According to Gratela, Migrante International prefers House Bill 3570 because it guarantees all Filipinos abroad, whether immigrants or temporary migrants, documented or undocumented, the right to vote for party-list Congressmen, Senators, vice-president and president.

The Senate version, on the other hand, grants overseas Filipinos the right to vote only for president and vice-president.

Gratela pointed out that because the OFWs' right to vote for House of Representatives members will be denied under Senate Bill 2104, this also denied them the opportunity to elect a party-list group to the lower chamber.

Under the present electoral set up, 50 seats in the 250-member House are allotted to party-list organisations that serve as sectoral representatives.

"The Senate version of the absentee voting bill denies overseas Filipinos the right to elect groups that will serve as their voice in the House of Representatives," he said.

Framers of the absentee voting bill in the Senate had said that giving Filipinos abroad the opportunity to elect district and sectoral representatives to the House will pose serious adminsitrative issues to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) which will implement the overseas voting simultaneously with the May 15, 2004, elections.

"Overseas Filipinos will have to elect from candidates in many positions. Besides, district House of Representatives candidates will have difficulty campaigning abroad," a senator argued.