Personnel from the Philippine Embassy in Rome perform mock Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) of the Vote-Counting Machines (VCM) on the second day of the training, 19 March 2019.

ROME 20 March 2019 – The Philippine Embassy in Rome hosts the On-Site Regional Overseas Voting (OV) Training on Automated Election System, (AES) conducted by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs-Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS) on 18 to 20 March 2019 at Courtyard by Marriott Rome Central Park, Rome Italy.

The intensive three-day training was conducted by a team led by COMELEC Commissioner Rowena V. Guanzon in preparation for the upcoming 2019 National Elections, which will allow registered Filipino overseas voters to cast their votes for Senators and a party-list representative of their choice. It was part of a series of training overseas for Philippine Foreign Service personnel who will be deputized by COMELEC for the said elections.

Participants to the training included representatives from the Philippine Embassy in Rome, the Philippine Consulate General in Milan, the Philippine Embassy in London, and the Philippine Embassy in Madrid. They were trained to perform their respective functions as members of the Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC), Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG), Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI), CCS operators, and VCM Operators, respectively.

At the end of the training, participants who constitute the SBEI were given written and practical exams administered by a representative from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) who certified that all participants to the training were fit to act as members of SBEI.

The 2019 National Elections for Senators and party-list representatives will begin overseas at 8:00 AM (host country’s time) on 13 April 2019 and will end at 6 PM (Philippine time) on 13 May 2019. END

Personnel from the Philippine Embassy in Rome, Philippine Consulate General in Milan, Philippine Embassy in London, and Philippine Embassy in Madrid join COMELEC Commissioner Rowena Amelia Guanzon (first row, center) and Ambassador Domingo P. Nolasco (first row, third from the left) for a photo opportunity after passing the exams administered by a representative from the DOST on the last day of the training, 20 March 2019.

Personnel from the Philippine Embassy in Rome (second row) with officials from COMELEC headed by Commissioner Rowena Amelia Guanzon (first row, third from the left), Ambassador Domingo P. Nolasco (first row, second from the left) and Acting Vice Chairperson of DFA-OVS, Edgardo Castro (first row, third from the right) on the first day of the training, 18 March 2019.