Philippine elections: First day of online voting saw promising turnout from Filipinos in UAE, says ambassador

The first day of the historic online voting for overseas Filipinos in the UAE that kicked off on Sunday “saw a promising turnout, despite some technical issues,” Philippine ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ferdinand A. Ver told Khaleej Times.

This is the first time internet voting is being held for registered overseas Filipino voters to select their next national and sectoral leaders. This means no more queues at the Philippine missions to cast ballots.

“The first day of overseas online voting started with some technical issues but we were not deterred, and these issues were immediately addressed by the Philippine Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) 24/7 tech support,” Ver said.

He added: “I am not allowed to tell the initial turnout of voters, but it was a promising turnout, and more importantly it helped in accelerating the rate of online enrollment, which can still be done until May 7.”

To participate in online voting, eligible Filipino citizens in the UAE must be registered overseas voters and enlisted under the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate-General in Dubai.

Then, they have to pre-enroll on the Comelec voting portal (http://ov.comelec.gov.ph/enroll), to verify and confirm their details. This step takes not more than five minutes, Ver confirmed.

The final step is to go to the Comelec voting website (ov.comelec.gov.ph/vote). Voting can be done any time of the day until May 12, 3pm (UAE time).

Filipinos can vote using their mobile phones, tablets, laptops, or desktop computers with built-in cameras, or ones that can be plugged with a camera and are capable of connecting to the internet running on any web browser.

No more queues

In the past, Filipino voters complained they were not able to vote because they had to go to the embassy or the consulate to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Now, they can just go online and vote – at their most convenient time and place.

Ver said on Sunday: “The interesting thing is that there was no queue of people who came to vote – which was a standard feature of the previous overseas voting. A few came to the embassy to ask for assistance in enrolling online and then they went ahead to cast their votes.

“This proves that online voting is the way to go for our community in the UAE. The online voting system is indeed not just a practical and easy way but it is also secure and credible,” he noted, adding: “As for the enrollment figure, this is hovering at 5 per cent of our total number of registered voters (the total number of registered voters in Abu Dhabi stands at 66,001).

“I reiterate my call to my kababayan (countrymen), particularly the registered voters to enroll and cast their votes, and show the power and presence of the overseas Filipinos in strengthening our democratic institutions and make a concrete contribution to shaping and building the future of the Philippines,” Ver underscored.

‘Make your voice heard’

Meanwhile, in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Philippine consul-general Marford M. Angeles, said: “Only a handful of overseas voters, which includes two senior citizens, came to the Consulate today to seek assistance in online voting while majority of voters voted online in the comfort of their homes.

“Compared to our previous elections, we can say we had a good turnout as more people were able to vote compared to if they came to the Consulate in person and queued under this hot weather. The online voting mode is making good with its promise of an easier and more convenient way to vote for our overseas voters,” he added.

Angeles said enrollment turnout “is about 5 per cent of our total 123,891 registered voters in Dubai and Northern Emirates. We are hoping that we get a higher turnout in the coming days, leading to the enrollment deadline of May 7, as only those pre-enrolled can cast their votes until May 12.”

“Each vote is a step closer towards realising what we envision our country’s future should be. As an overseas voter, this is your chance to make your voice heard, and we encourage you to make sure it is heard loud and clear,” Angeles reiterated, adding: “We ask everyone to spread the word so we can continue the upward trend of voter turnout for the next 29 days.”

The official election day in the Philippines is May 12, 2025, but for overseas Filipinos, including those in the UAE — online voting will run for 30 days from April 13 to May 12. They will elect 12 senators and a party-list representative.