Philippine Embassy in Tokyo Welcomes First Overseas Voter to Cast His Ballot For The 2016 National Election
Overseas voter Dante Sagbanan Negre (left) preparing to feed his accomplished ballot into the vote counting machine. Assisting him is Mr. Lawrence Cuevas, Member of the Special Board of Election Inspectors of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo.
09 April 2016 – The Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) at the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo welcomed overseas voter Dante Sagbanan Negre as the first among the 19,230 overseas registered voters in Tokyo to cast his vote today for the 2016 National Elections. The SBEI officially opened at 8:00 AM (7:00 AM in Manila) today, the first day of the 30-day voting period until 09 May 2016, inclusive of weekends and holidays.
Mr. Negre, who opted for personal voting, expressed excitement and satisfaction of his voting experience in Tokyo. He said, “I was happy and proud to be a Filipino when I fed my accomplished ballot into the voting counting machine. I chose to cast my vote personally because I want to test the machine myself. I am very satisfied of the system.” A founding member of the Filipino association called the United Filipinos for Peace and Advancement aimed at strengthening family ties, welfare, and relations, Mr. Negre called on the Filipinos to remain united and use their ballots to express their feelings and thoughts for the country.
Born in Luna, Kalinga Apayao, and now a long time permanent resident in Japan, Mr. Negre has also participated in the 2010 and 2013 National Elections as overseas voter in Tokyo. He said that his voting experience this time was new compared to the postal voting system in the last two national elections. This year, overseas voters in Tokyo were offered mixed voting (postal and personal voting) under the automated election system (AES).
The Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG) of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo received the first electoral mail from overseas voter Generosa B. Balocating.
Meanwhile, the Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG) of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo also received in the afternoon today the first electoral mail containing the accomplished ballot from overseas voter Generosa B. Balocating. Ms. Balocating came to the Embassy to receive her electoral mail from the SBRCG. She accomplished her ballot and personally delivered her sealed envelope containing her accomplished ballot.
