Photo credit: Congress PH

The House of Representatives achieved unanimous approval on Wednesday for a bill aimed at broadening registration and voting alternatives for Filipinos residing abroad.

The newly sanctioned House Bill (HB) 10178 proposes amendments to the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003, intending to streamline the process and facilitate greater accessibility for overseas Filipinos to exercise their voting rights.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez emphasized the bill's objective of simplifying voter registration and voting procedures to ensure the efficient execution of the constitutional right to suffrage for overseas Filipinos.

The bill enables overseas voter registration, certification, and transfer through various channels, including mail and electronic means such as web-based portals and other internet-based technologies.

If enacted, the measure will introduce electronic voting as an additional option alongside traditional in-person and mail-in methods.

Additionally, HB 10178 proposes the elimination of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee's authority to approve mail-in voting in overseas territories.

Furthermore, the bill expands the scope of prohibited acts under the law to encompass offenses related to electronic data or information, including theft, concealment, alteration, destruction, mutilation, manipulation, and tampering.