Sulong, Itaguyod ang Karapatan ng mga Manggagawa sa Labas ng Bansa – BC
Advance and Uphold the Rights of Overseas Filipino Workers – BC (SIKLAB – BC)
Press release

Survey reveals many overseas Filipinos in Canada not registered to vote in Philippine elections

April 20, 2007

VANCOUVER, B.C. – A recent local survey of overseas Filipino migrant workers, immigrants and youth in Vancouver, Canada reveals that many want to vote in the upcoming Philippine elections on May 14 but are not registered to vote.

According to a forum and survey conducted by SIKLAB – BC, an organization of Overseas Filipino Workers in Canada on April 14 and attended by around 30 Filipinos, many Filipinos did not register to vote for the upcoming elections before the October 1, 2006 deadline because of a lack of information from the local offices of the Consulate General. Although some public information was disseminated by the Consulate offices, many noticed a significantly fewer number of public advertisements about the registration deadline for overseas voting compared to the 2003 elections.

“There was some marked confusion in the community about the possibility of the elections being cancelled due to the push of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for Charter Change,” says Glecy Duran, Chair of SIKLAB-BC. “The Consul General also did not actively promote overseas voter registration resulting in many of our members being disenfranchised in the upcoming elections,” she adds.

Many of those who are qualified to vote, including thousands of Filipino live-in caregivers also did not register because they said they were busy working to earn and send remittances to their families back home and did not have time to inquire about voter registration. Others said they were dealing with problems with their employers or were too worried over fears of deportation to register.

When asked which party-list group they would vote for if they had the chance, the majority chose Gabriela Women’s Party, whose third nominee, Flora Beniaga-Belinan is an Igorot and a former Overseas Filipino Worker. Others chose the Bayan Muna (People First) Party.

The majority of those surveyed also said they would be willing to contact their families and relatives in the Philippines to encourage them to vote for their preferred party-list groups.

SIKLAB–BC plans to continue collecting the election surveys until the May 13 elections.

Approximately 40,000 Filipinos live in BC, making them the third largest visible minority group in BC. Around 500,000 Filipinos live in Canada.

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Please see attached survey results and photos.
For more information, please contact: Glecy Duran, Chair, SIKLAB – BC at ph: 604-215-1103 or e-mail: siklab@kalayaancentre.net

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Results from Surveys on May 14 Philippine Elections
- Collected by SIKLAB-British Columbia

   1. Did you register for the 2007 National and Local Elections in the Philippines as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW)?
   No - 87.5 percent
   Yes - 12.5 percent

   2. If "No", why didn't you register to vote?
   Because Canadian citizen - 37.5 percent
   No answer - 37.5 percent
   Did not receive information/instruction on how to register - 25 percent

   3. Which party-list group would you vote for?
   Gabriela Women's Partylist - 75 percent
   Bayan Muna Partylist - 25 percent

   4. Who would your family in the Philippines vote for?
   Gabriela Women's Partylist - 75 percent
   Bayan Muna Partylist - 12.5 percent
   Others - 12.5 percent

   5. Would you be willing to contact your family to ask them to vote
   for your preferred party-list?
   100 percent