Somewhere in Quezon City, May 10, 2010 Philippine Elections: Were any of these candidates dual citizens? – Photo: TFA Photofile

Almost marginalised in Philippine political scenes, Global Filipinos have recently released a white paper with recommendations to provide overseas Filipinos broader and fuller suffrage rights, Global Filipino Nation convenor Victor Barrios wrote to The Filipino Australian recently.

The GFN paper published on this site as a two-part article was prepared from a consultative process carried out early this month amongst overseas civic leaders, organisations and their members including Worldwide Filipino Alliance (WFA), Global Filipinos Australia (GFA), Global Filipinos Canada (GFC), National Federation of Filipino American Organizations (NaFFAA), and Overseas Filipino Council International (OFCI), said Mr Barrios.

GFN is an international coalition of Filipino leaders and organisations in 30 countries which aims to “Building the Global Filipino Nation for Good Governance”.

The GFN paper recommends a 5-point plan to address current deficiencies in Philippine election laws including a restriction on dual citizens from running for a public office.

Among the GFN recommendations are internet-based voter registration and voting, removal of affivadit to return, voter registration as a requirement for departing OFWs, and setting up of registration desks at the Department of Foreign Affairs and overseas employment agencies.

The GFN recommendations aim to remove the obstacles that OFWs currently face in exercising their rights, Mr Barrios said, adding that OFWs today have no incentive to register as absentee voters because of the “grave inconvenience due to physical presence requirement”.

Mr Barrios also said that GFN members have also resolved to push for laws to give overseas Filipinos equal rights to aspire and run for Philippine public offices.

“Some Filipino politicians and Filipinos living in the Motherland have to overcome the hackneyed mindset that overseas Filipinos have lost their political relevance since they have left our shores for greener opportunities abroad.

“This frame of thinking co-exists with the high regard for overseas Filipinos owing to the fact that large foreign exchange remittances fuel a modicum of economic stability, a high level of consumer activity, a robust real estate market and diffused social stresses from a poverty-stricken country.

“Seeking greener opportunities abroad is not a betrayal of one�s country. On the contrary, reaching out for the highest economic return for a human resource tends to maximize the attainment of human potential and the social rate of return for the country. The social costs, of course, have to be reckoned with.”

GFN calls for an amendment of Philippine laws that will give overseas Filipinos the “right to run for and be appointed to public office, the right to proportional representation, and the right to vote for local officials.”

Currently, Philippine R.A. 9225 requires that Filipinos who have become citizens of other countries and who have reacquired their Philippine citizenship (dual citizens) have to renounce their foreign citizenship if they run for or are appointed to public office.

“Overseas Filipinos view this stipulation as discriminatory,” said Mr Barrios.

“There is nothing in the Constitution which states that, among the qualifications for candidates to run for public office, a candidate must have only one citizenship � Filipino citizenship.”

Victor Barrios (second from left) with Romy Cayabyab, Jun Aguilar, and Ted Aquino as international observers during the May 10, 2010 Philippine Elections. Photo: TFA Photofile

Mr Barrios also cited that a number of progressive countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, allow dual citizens to run for public office.

Notable examples are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Richardson, Mr Barrios said. Schwarzenegger, governor of California, holds three citizenships: American, Austrian and European Union. Richardson, governor of Mexico, holds American and Mexican citizenships.

Meanwhile in Australia, the Philippine government’s campaign for overseas absentee voting is ongoing. In cooperation with community organisations, the Philippine Consulate in Sydney holds off-site Overseas Absentee Voters registration.

Whether or not OAVs exercise their voting rights after registration is a different story. In the recent Philippine national elections, The Filipino Australian gathered that about 32% of the 2,067 registered absentee voters in New South Wales / New Caledonia turned out to vote.

View full report > Overseas Filipinos seek broader and fuller suffrage