Despite experiencing a fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, many Filipino voters in Hong Kong still turned up to cast their votes on the first day of the overseas absentee voting (OAV) on Sunday, April 10.

At noon, the allowed capacity of voters recommended by the Hong Kong Police was already reached, prompting the Consulate there to resume the voting the next day, Monday.

“[T]o ensure effective crowd control and compliance with anti-pandemic measures, Consulate General upon the recommendation of the Hong Kong Police wishes to announce that today’s capacity to accept voters has reached its limit,” the Philippine Consulate General said at Sunday noon.

“The Filipino community is hereby advised to consider voting tomorrow or any day thereafter until Monday, 09 May 2022,” it added.

The Consulate, however, did not disclose the exact capacity allowed in the polling site.

It was disclosed that the Philippine Consulate there was given consent by the Hong Kong Government to conduct the month-long voting period with a condition to strictly implement the foreign government’s anti-pandemic measures “given that Hong Kong is in the midst of the Fifth Wave of the pandemic.”

The turnout of Filipino nationals there was indeed huge as a series of photos shared by the Consulate General taken by overseas Filipino, Raly Tejada, showed the long queue of Filipino voters at the Kennedy Town Centre starting Sunday morning.

After reaching the capacity limit, Filipinos are reminded that “overseas voting will continue everyday with no break, not even during public holidays” until May 9.

Close to 1.7-million overseas Filipinos are expected to participate in the national elections.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Betheena Unite

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