The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) today ink  a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the launching of the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) Registration Center at the OWWA.

            OWWA Administrator Carmelita S. Dimzon, Comelec Commissioner Lucenito N. Tagle and Comelec Undersecretary for Special and Oceans Concerns and Chairman, DFA-OAVS Jose S. Brillantes will be the signatories for the Agreement. The launching of the Registration Center  will be  at the OWWA  Building located in Solana Street, Intramuros, Manila. The MOA signing  is in preparation for the 13 May 2013 National Elections.

            The collaboration between the three government offices started in  the initial implementation of the OAV during the 2004 National Elections and continued in  the 2010 National Elections. Thus, In the hope that  qualified overseas Filipino voters are able to exercise their right of suffrage, as well as guarantee  the success of this endeavor,  the  establishment of a “COMELEC-DFA-OWWA Registration Center  for Overseas Absentee Voters” was conceived. The Registration Center will be housed inside the OWWA premises in Intramuros, Manila.

            The Comelec cites the pivotal role OWWA played in the increase of the number of overseas absentee registrants in the 2010 National Elections  and decided  another partnership with the agency.

Under the MOA, the Registration Center shall be operationalized from the date of the signing to 31 October  2012, Mondays thru Fridays, and will be opened from 8:00 a.m. . to 5:00 p.m.

            An attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the OWWA, is  the lead government agency tasked to protect and promote the welfare and well-being of OFWs and their dependents, thus,  the OWWA’s role is pivotal in attaining the success of this endeavor. One of the responsibilities of the agency is to provide sufficient and secured office and storage space for  OAV registration paraphernalia, including Voter Registration Machines (VRMs), application forms, and accommodation of applicants within any given day.

            To ensure safety of the  Registration Center,  OWWA has the duty to issue passes to  authorized personnel of the Commission and the DFA including those in the area of utility and maintenance service personnel.

            Part of the undertaking  of the OWWA is the  massive information campaign promoting the participation of all  OFWs transacting business  in  the agency’s offices and the designation of a high ranking official who will serve as the focal person as well as coordinator for matters pertaining to OAV related to the implementation of the Agreement.

 Per Comelec, the OAV registration started in November 2011 at the various Posts (Embassies and Consulates) around the globe and established its local field registration centers at the premises of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) grounds early this year.

            The re-opening of the  OWWA Registration Center will again serve as the overseas absentee voter’s local field for the OFW electorates.