Arroyo to blame for low turn-out in Philippines overseas vote

MANILA — The country?s broadest alliance of OFWs and their families today laid the blame for the low OAV turn out on Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

?If OFW voters are disillusioned and disenfranchised, it?s because of the Arroyo regime. In this regard, it is completely unjust for the DFA and the Comelec to even suggest thoughts of scrapping the OAV mechanism altogether. Given the boundless sacrifices OFWs endure to remit billions of dollars into the economy ? it?s downright dastardly for top Arroyo officials to even suggest this ?total disenfranchisement? of OFWs,? says Maita Santiago, Migrante International Secretary-General.

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Philippines president thanks God ‘gift of democracy’

Below is the statement of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on election day:

Pahayag ng Pangulo sa Araw ng Halalan

Sa araw na ito ay nagkaisa ang sambayanang Pilipino sa likod ng demokrasya. Ipinagmamalaki natin ang ating kasaysayan bilang malayang bansa.
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Philippines: Hundreds of disenfranchised voters in Tondo, Manila

MANILA — Every vote counts, but not every one who intended to vote today succeeded to do so.

This was the reality documented by members of the Peoples’ International Observers Mission (Peoples IOM) Manila team who received complaints of missing and deactivated names in voters’ lists today.
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