The overseas voting is just a few days away but… oops, page not found. Oops, unexpected error. Broken link. Very late or never received an OTP. Page expired. These are just a few of several feedbacks that we received. Not only was COMELEC late in providing the pre-enrolment link and information drive, there are no advisories on what to do if such problems are encountered. We need an accessible and reliable system. This flawed system represents a significant and widespread disenfranchisement.
The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong (PCG) in Hong Kong conducted a training session for Filipino leaders in the community on March 16, 2025. Vice Consul Gelo Manuel assured the leaders that the online voting system would be easy and convenient for overseas Filipino voters, enabling them to cast their votes anytime, anywhere.
However, the experience since then has been anything but smooth. Despite assurances, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) failed to post the necessary link for the online voting system on time. Voters were forced to wait for three days before the link was finally posted on the PCG’s official Facebook page. While the pre-enrolment period was supposed to begin on March 20, in Hong Kong it didn’t actually start until the afternoon of March 23, 2025.
Feedbacks from Filipino voters has revealed numerous difficulties and irregularities in accessing the system. Many found themselves repeatedly attempting to access the system only to be greeted by expired time limits forcing them to restart the process. While the QR code system functioned, it presented a technological challenge, as not all users are sufficiently tech-savvy to navigate it effectively. Due to this challenges, some voters have expressed a preference to return to in-person voting at the consulate to avoid the unreliable online process. This sentiment could lead to long queues, reminiscent of previous experiences with OEC processing.
Every election, since the overseas voting was implemented, we have to keep asserting on our right to have a reliable, efficient and transparent elections. This problematic and unreliable system is pushing our kababayans to express their lack of trust, discouraging others from not voting altogether. We are calling the COMELEC to urgently address these issues.
– Lai Besana, Spokesperson
59 BAYAN MUNA Partylist Hong Kong