Filipino Expats Blog in Thailand

16 April 2010 – The first week of overseas absentee voting had a good turnout of voters, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said today.

Overseas absentee voting started last April 10 in electoral precincts located in 93 Philippine Embassies and Consulates General around the world.

As of noon today, 29,383 registered voters have cast their ballots during the first week of voting, according to the DFA Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat (DFA-OAVS).

The Embassies and Consulates General with the highest number of voters are the following: the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong (5,389), the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh (2,639), the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah (1,464), the Philippine Embassy in Singapore (1,256), the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles (1,288), the Philippine Consulate General in New York (1,085), Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco (1,074), the Philippine Embassy in London (965), the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. (723), and the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait (694).

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‘When a banana has sprouted and bore fruits, it’s time to cut it down’, this, was one of FVR’s (former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos) messages to the Pinoys working and living abroad, expressed at the dialogue with the Filipino community at the Philippine Embassy on August 18, 2009.

FVR KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT AIT’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Like most Filipinos who have been living and working abroad for a good number of years now, I too, am disillusioned with the current political situation in our country. And so with heavy shoulders, I went to the Philippine Embassy last August 19, 2009, expecting more of the same scene when politicians come to visit: a lot of BS, nothing substantial.

Surprisingly however, FVR (Fidel V. Ramos), our former Philippine President, turned out to be a breath of fresh air. I’ve witnessed his quick and ready humor on television for several occasions in the past. And who could ever forget the image of him making a jump with arms raised in triumph at EDSA during the 1986 People Power Revolution?

FVR started his dialogue with leaders of the Pinoy community in Thailand by going back memory lane, wisely reminding everyone in the room of the fact that the Philippines became the first ever democracy in Asia in 1898.

With that, he went on to allay fears that he was here in Thailand to start his political campaign or to endorse somebody in the upcoming elections. He was invited by the Asian Institute of Technology to come to Thailand and be AIT’s keynote speaker at its 50th Anniversary. Along with that, FVR is also to receive an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Technology.

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