The Philippine Consulate General in Macau held the last day of its overseas voter registration for the presidential elections of 2022 on Thursday, with some Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) telling The Macau Post Daily about the importance of registering to vote.
Scores of Filipinos queued for hours outside the AIA Tower in Avenida Comercial de Macau, which is where the consulate is located.
A 26-year-old woman surnamed Lumanlan said that she started to queue before 9 a.m. and waited more than eight hours. She said she believed that registering to vote as an OFW in Macau was important for the future of the Philippines, noting that it could help benefit future generations if a capable candidate was elected. She pointed out that “if our country improves, at least the next generation won’t need to experience having to go abroad to help their parents or families.”
Meanwhile, two women who identified themselves as Rowena and Jenylin, aged 40 and 38 respectively, said that regardless of the time spent queuing, they maintained that the wait was “worth it”. Having waited 11 hours, they said they believed that registering to vote was important and said that having the option to select a leader that could bring change while also transforming the country were important reasons.
Garcia and Madelyn, two women aged 50 and 35, waited for nearly 12 hours and explained that they “persevered to be able to register to vote” for their candidate – Bongbong Marcos, the only son of late Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos.
Both placed importance on being able to vote in next year’s elections and willingly waited despite having spent their entire day-off queuing. Garcia further explained that she had never given a thought to registering to vote in the 13 years that she has spent in Macau, but upon seeing a candidate that she supports, she said that “there might be a chance that the country will improve or its system will get better again, so let’s try to do what we can.”
Ana, a 51-year-old woman, shared the same sentiment, pointing out that she had not registered for about 27 years but did so this time to be able to vote for the candidate she supports – Bongbong. She added that “I did my best to register, even if it meant using up my holiday”.
A 42-year-old woman named Marylin, also said that she has not voted for about nearly 13 years but decided to register in support of a candidate – Bongbong. She mentioned that “as an OFW, we need to send our sincere votes for a person we need and has the ability to stand as a leader of the country”, and she said she hoped that change can come in 2022 while OFWs “can unite to show support.”
The consulate says on its website that there will be a voting period from April 9 to May 9 next year.
According to Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) statistics, there were 28,352 Filipino non-resident workers in Macau at the end of August.
Besides, several thousand Filipinos are local residents.
Filipinos make up Macau’s second-largest ethnic community, after the Chinese.
Filipinos queue outside the AIA tower in Avenida Comercial de Macau on Thursday to register with the Philippine Consulate-General to vote for next year’s elections in their country. Photos: Rui Pastorin
