ABU DHABI // Filipino expatriates are being urged to vote before time runs out in a week.
“I call on all registered Filipino overseas voters to make your trip to the voting precincts as soon as you can,” said Rafael Seguis, Philippines’ foreign affairs undersecretary and overseas voting secretariat chairman at Manila’s department of foreign affairs (DFA)
“Exercising your right of suffrage is as important, if not more important than the candidates you choose to vote for. Let us not sacrifice the principles and the values we stand for.”
Registered overseas absentee voters have until Monday to cast their votes in the presidential election.
Johary Bio, 42, said his job at a logistics company in Abu Dhabi prevented him from voting early.
“I asked my boss if can take a day off today,” he said. “I think it’s important to vote for change. Every vote counts.”
Polls for overseas voters opened on April 9 and will remain open until May 9, election day in the Philippines.
“I hope they won’t wait until the last three days to vote,” Constancio Vingno Jr, the Philippine ambassador to the UAE, said on Monday. “We’re anticipating long queues on the last day of voting.”
The embassy has extended voting hours from 8am to 8pm until Sunday, instead of the previous 9am to 5pm. On May 9, voting will be from 5am to 1pm.
Filipinos will be choosing their country’s next president, vice president, 12 senators and one-party list representative.
Voting at the consulate is from 8am to 9pm daily until Sunday to enable many voters to participate.
Paul Raymond Cortes, the consul general in Dubai, has called a town hall meeting at 7pm on Tuesday to discuss issues affecting the community.
“The most pressing issue is overseas absentee voting and how to lure Filipinos to vote and play a role in nation-building,” he said.
“We’re interested to get the comments and recommendations from Filipinos on how they think we can further increase the voter turnout.”
But Mr Seguis said he was convinced the Philippine embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai would meet their targets.
“It looks like there is still a chance that both Abu Dhabi and Dubai will be able to reach a 50 per cent turnout in the next 7 days,” he said.
By May 1, 16, 265 of the 72,661 voters in Abu Dhabi had cast their votes, representing a 22 per cent voter turnout, according to the DFA’s overseas voting secretariat.
Of the 122,953 registered voters in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, 25,235 had voted at the consulate in Dubai.
“I’m not satisfied with the numbers,” Mr Cortes said.
“There are over 97,000 who have not yet voted. There must be a reason why the third presidential debate featured Dubai. It means the candidates are keen to listen to overseas Filipinos in Dubai, find out exactly what concerns them, and how they could help.”
Rowena Daquipil, vice-consul at the embassy, said she wondered what is preventing Filipinos in Abu Dhabi from voting.
“I really don’t know whey they leave it late to vote,” she said. “Perhaps they’re undecided at this point. Or it may be the ‘last-minute mentality’ of many Filipinos.”
A group of Filipino civil engineers offered to provided free transport to the embassy on Friday for voters coming from Ruwais.
“We can only do so much,” Ms Daquipil said. “But it’s really up to them if they would like to vote.”
rruiz@thenational.ae
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
Company%20Profile
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
THE DETAILS
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
'Dark Waters'
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper
Rating: ****
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Malcolm & Marie
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya
Three stars
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Company%20profile
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SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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