PRESS RELEASE
PR-086-2024
SINGAPORE, 13 August 2024 – The Commission on Elections (COMELEC), in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Embassy in Singapore, successfully conducted its third leg of information drive on internet voting at the Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre from 3 to 4 August 2024.
The two-day training session on the implementation of Online Voting and Canvassing Systems (OVCS) for the 2025 National Level Elections (NLE) forms part of the COMELEC’s comprehensive efforts to modernize and streamline overseas voting and maximize voting turnout. The training was led by all six (6) COMELEC commissioners, demonstrating the significance of this initiative.
The first day of the seminar was focused on training participants from various Philippine foreign service posts in Southeast Asia and Australia on managing the new OVCS. The second day was dedicated to providing Filipino community leaders in Singapore with preliminary information and a live demonstration of the upcoming online voting system. The goal was to familiarize the participants with the online voting system to guide their respective Posts and communities through the transition to the new system.
In his remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Medardo G. Macaraig encouraged the Filipino community to support COMELEC and the efforts of the Philippine Government in making voting accessible to all Filipinos worldwide. He emphasized that the online voting platform is only in its early stages, thus the inputs of stakeholders will help ensure the success of the initiative,which is poised to be the first online voting system in Philippine history.
Both days featured extensive sessions on the technical and practical aspects of the OVCS, including cybersecurity measures. The highlight of the training was the live demonstrations, wherein participants experienced the online pre-enrollment registration process and the casting of votes. The COMELEC trainors actively engaged with the participants and Filipino community leaders, duly noting their feedback and recommendations. The Commission likewise expressed commitment to integrating the insights shared into the personalization phase of the OVCS platform to ensure a more tailored and effective system.
The COMELEC conducted its first information drive in Barcelona, Spain on 6-7 July 2024, which was followed by a visit to Hong Kong on 27-28 July 2024 for the second-leg of the internet voting information drive.
The Philippine Embassy encourages the Filipino community to stay informed and watch for more announcements regarding the 2025 elections.
Overseas voter registration is ongoing until 30 September 2024. END
