Section 1. Meaning of words. – As used in this General Instructions, the following terms shall refer to:

a) Approved Overseas Absentee Voter Registration Record – document containing the demographic and biometric information of an overseas absentee voter approved by the Resident Election Registration Board;

b) Certified List of Overseas Absentee Voters (CLOAV or OAVF No. 2) – list of registered overseas absentee voters whose applications to vote in absentia have been approved by the Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting, through the Resident Election Registration Board on a country-by-country and post-by post basis. This list shall be prepared by the Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting and approved by the Commission in an en banc resolution;

This shall be divided equitably among the SBEIs for posting outside the polling place at the start of the voting period.

c) Commission – the Commission on Elections;

d) Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting (COAV) – Committee created by the Commission to oversee and supervise the effective implementation of R.A. 9189;

e) Day of Election – date of the elections in the Philippines which is May 10, 2010;

f) Department of Foreign Affairs-Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat (DFA-OAVS) – secretariat based at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) home office tasked to direct, coordinate and oversee the Department’s participation in the implementation of R.A. 9189 through its embassies, consulates, and economic and cultural offices;

g) List of Overseas Absentee Voters with Voting Records (OAVF No. 2-A) – list of overseas absentee voters with biometrics arranged alphabetically to vote in absentia, for use by each Special Board of Election Inspectors during the voting period;

h) National Registry of Overseas Absentee Voters (NROAV) – consolidated list of overseas absentee voters whose applications for registration as absentee voters, including those registered voters under R.A. 8189 who have applied for certification as overseas absentee voters and whose applications have been approved by the Resident Election Registration Board. It shall indicate the Post where the overseas absentee voter is registered;

i) Overseas Absentee Voter – a qualified citizen of the Philippines whose application for registration or for certification as absentee voter has been approved by the RERB, and who is abroad during the voting period;

j) Overseas Absentee Voting – process by which qualified citizens of the Philippines abroad exercise their right to vote;

k) Overseas Absentee Voting Election Returns – an election document prepared and authenticated by the Special Board of Election Inspectors for Counting, showing the date of the election, the country/post in which it is held, the number of overseas absentee voters, the number of voters who actually voted, the votes obtained by each candidate in the overseas absentee voting precinct and such other data as may be required by law;

l) Overseas Absentee Voting Precinct – a country, Post or a grouping of overseas absentee voters in a given country/Post, designated by the Commission for purposes of voting and counting taking into consideration the presence of consular offices and the number of overseas absentee voters under the jurisdiction of each consular office;

m) Personal Voting – a mode of voting where the voters personally appear to cast their votes at the Posts or such other voting areas designated by the Commission;

n) Postal Voting – a mode of voting where mailing packets, containing the official ballots and other election paraphernalia, are sent to the voters through the mail or are personally delivered to or picked-up by the voters at the Post. Whereupon, the voters either mail or personally deliver their accomplished ballots to the Post;

o) Posts – Philippine embassies, consulates, foreign service establishments and other Philippine government agencies maintaining offices abroad, e.g., the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO), having jurisdiction over the places where the overseas absentee voters temporarily reside. For purposes of overseas absentee voting, Posts shall also mean to include the three (3) Manila Economic & Cultural Offices (MECO) in Taiwan;

p) Representative of the Commission – officials and employees of the foreign service corps, including Filipino contractual employees that the embassies, consulates and other foreign service establishments may locally hire at the host country and Filipino volunteers nominated by the Post and deputized by the Commission;

q) Seafarers – ship officers and ratings manning ships, including offshore workers, service providers and fishermen, as defined in the Revised Rules on the Issuance of Seafarer’s Identification and Record Book of the Maritime Industry Authority;

r) Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG) – group deputized by the Commission in every Post to receive and take custody of all accountable and non-accountable election forms, supplies and paraphernalia sent by the COAV for issuance to the Special Boards of Election Inspectors and Special Boards of Canvassers;

s) Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) – body deputized by the Commission to conduct the voting and/or counting of votes;

t) Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC) – body deputized by the Commission to canvass the votes in a particular country;

u) Supervisory Teams – officials and employees of the Commission designated by the Commission to supervise and ensure the implementation of the R.A. 9189 and these Rules. Such supervisory teams shall be headed by career officers or any lawyer of the Commission designated by the Chairman of the COAV;

v) Voting Period – 30 days of voting of overseas absentee voters which includes the day of elections.

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Article II