The Commission on Elections is set to tap the Iglesia ni Cristo, the Jesus is Lord Church and the overseas Filipino workers' (OFW) group Migrante International to help them in its campaign to increase the turn-out of overseas absentee voter (OAV) registrants, the spokesman for the poll body said today.

COMELEC spokesman James Jimenez said that they will be sending letters to the leaders of the aforesaid churches and the OFW group to help them promote the ongoing OAV registration and to ask them to encourage their congregations, chapters and members to register.

"In order for us to achieve our goal of one million OAV registrants for the May 10, 2010 elections, we need the help of Filipino groups and religious organizations to encourage the widest number of our kababayans to exercise their right to vote," said COMELEC Chairman Jose A.R. Melo.

"The COMELEC is humbly seeking their (INC, JIL, Migrante) support in this endeavor by helping promote the ongoing OAV registration and encouraging all of their overseas congregations, chapters and members to register at Philippine embassies and consulates worldwide before the August 31 deadline," Melo added.

The registration period for overseas absentee voters will end on August 31, 2009. OAV applicants need only present their passports (for land-based applicants) and seaman's books (for seafarers) to facilitate their registration. ###

POSTED: 07.22.2009 LTO, Updated: 01.20.2012 JJSH