The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) said Tuesday it respects the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) not to give the Filipino athletes and officials participating in the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games local absentee voting privileges for next year’s elections.
Traditionally being done late in an odd-numbered year, the 31st edition of the SEA Games, supposed to be ongoing as of posting, has been postponed to May 12-23, 2022 due to the pandemic.
While the national elections would come a few days earlier on May 9, many Filipino athletes and officials would be in Hanoi by then, thus potentially missing the elections.
The PSC proposed to the Comelec to declare them as local absentee voters for next year. However, the poll body has notified the PSC that it is rejecting the request.
“The Comelec has politely turned down the proposal citing the Omnibus Election Code, Executive Order No. 157, Republic Acts 7166 and 10380, and Comelec Resolution No. 10725, which states that only personnel from four groups may avail of local absentee voting,” the PSC said in a statement. “While this is sad news for all concerned, the PSC Board respects Comelec’s advice.”
Only government officials, policemen, and soldiers assigned to places where they are not registered voters and reporters who are covering the elections are eligible to avail of the local absentee voting privilege.
“The Comelec letter informed that since the athletes, coaches, and delegates are not part of the aforementioned groups who will be performing election duties they cannot act upon the PSC’s request,” the PSC added.
About 626 athletes will fly to Hanoi to represent the Philippines in the Hanoi SEA Games as they look to defend the overall championship they won during the 2019 edition in various places in Luzon.
Source: Philippines New Agency
