Are you an overseas absentee voter? If, like me, you reside outside the Philippines and are registered as an overseas absentee voter, then by now you must have received by mail the ballots and instructions on casting your vote. Voting of all registered overseas absentee voters commences on April 14, 2007 and will end at 3:00pm (Philippine time) on May 14, 2007. You may elect 12 Senators and a Party-List Organization/Sector. The Certified List of Official Candidates and Party-List Organizations may be viewed here.
If you live in Tsukuba or somewhere near Ibaraki, you may be interested to know that there will be a “Kapihan” event entitled, “Hala! Halalan Na!” to be held this coming April 22. Please read on below for further details.
A distinguished panel of speakers is expected to discuss significant election-related issues during the community forum dubbed “Hala! Halalan na!” (Kapihan sa Tsukuba), which will be held on April 22 (Sunday), 1:30 p.m. at Friends International Mart, Amakubo, Tsukuba.
Leading the list of speakers is political scientist and former activist Dr. Nathan Quimpo of the University of Tsukuba. His talk will revolve around “Elitismo, Showbiz at Partidong Pulitikal sa Pilipinas.” Two top diplomats from the Philippine Embassy in Japan will also discuss the absentee voting mechanism and other related topics. Consuls Gerardo E. Tamayo and Felipe F. Cariño III have confirmed their attendance to the said forum.
To provide an OFW perspective to the discussion, Tonton Hernandez, a leader of Filipino migrant workers in the Ibaraki area, will speak on “Ang Kahulugan ng Halalan para sa mga Migrante.” Socorro (Yuko) Takei, spokesperson of the Philippine Women’s League of Japan, co-chairperson of the Coalition of Enlightened Filipinos in Japan and convenor of the UP Alumni Association – Japan chapter, will talk about election-related cheating and electoral anomalies.
A mock election for senators and party-list groups is also being considered. The discussion forum, which aims to heighten the awareness of Japan-based Filipinos on the significance of the May 2007 polls, will be moderated by Benigno Tutor, Jr. of Uninetwork Inc. and Philippines Today Online.
The Kapihan is being organized by the Association of Filipino Scholars in Tsukuba (FAST) led by Benjamin San Jose in cooperation with Philippines Today Online and Uninetwork Inc. The event’s main sponsor, ABS-CBN, will provide promotional t-shirts and caps to the participants.
An access map to the venue is shown below.
Don’t miss this event! And most of all, VOTE WISELY. Don’t waste that vote. 🙂