Comelec: Voter Registration In Middle East Continues Despite Tensions

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Overseas voter registration in the Middle East will continue despite escalating tension in the region, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Monday.

Comelec Spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) has not reported any suspension of voter registration activities abroad.

“No voter registration (abroad) have been suspended so far,” he said in a telephone interview.

Laudiangco said the registration is still ongoing as Philippine embassies and consulates are still in operation.

“As long as our embassies and consulates in the Middle East are open, voter registration continues,” he said.

“(Voter registration) coincides with the consular activities in these Posts.”

The overseas voter registration started Dec. 1, 2025 and will run until Sept. 30, 2027 in all Philippine embassies and consulates, as well as in designated local field registration centers in the Philippines.

There are an estimated 2 million Filipinos living and working in different countries in the Middle East.

On Saturday, the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran and followed by retaliatory attacks on US military bases in several countries in the region. (PNA)