Uncertainty tinges absentee-vote registry for many Filipinos

By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer

Philippine consulates worldwide are scrambling for next month's launch of the first registry of Filipino nationals as absentee voters, unsure of how long a line to expect when the doors open Aug. 1.

Most of the potential voters living in Hawai'i, estimated at somewhere between 10,000 and 50,000, will have to decide whether the right to participate in their national elections merits the time and effort it will take to register, especially because, for many, their quest for American citizenship could be jeopardized.

Belinda Aquino, director of the University of Hawai'i Center for Philippine Studies, hasn't made up her mind about registering.

Aquino, a Philippine national, has been a permanent resident of the United States for the past 30 years.

The new absentee law would entitle her to vote in national elections, as long as she signs an affidavit pledging to return as a permanent resident of the Philippines within three years.

Aquino, who said she had no plans to file for U.S. citizenship, recognizes that the requirement to move back to the Philippines could hurt prospects for Filipinos pursuing citizenship.

She has heard suggestions of a "loophole" — signing the affidavit, voting and then asserting later that one's plans have changed.

"But that doesn't sit well with people," she said. "There would be an intent to be insincere with the whole thing. You would jeopardize your chances of becoming a citizen ... and how many people would want to do that?

"It's counterintuitive," Aquino said. "I don't know who in his right mind would make that arrangement just to vote in an election."

An estimated 7 million Philippine nationals live overseas, most of them holding work visas rather than becoming permanent residents of their host country. These workers are considered a powerful bloc in choosing the next Philippines president in May.

But many Filipino expatriates, especially those in the United States, have sought a change of citizenship, so there's also a "citizen retention bill" in the Philippine Congress to allow dual citizenship.

This bill would make the affidavit-signing an unnecessary exercise, said Rolando Gregorio, Philippine consul general in Hawai'i.

Different versions of the bill have made it through both houses, Gregorio said, but the lawmakers went into recess before a conference committee could reconcile the differences. The session resumes July 28, but absentee voting registration surely will be well under way before any bill is passed.

Amy Agbayani, president of the Filipino Community Center, said she is sure that most potential voters will wait and try to get questions answered. The center may help coordinate some public forums in an effort to answer them, she said.

"It will be very confusing for people," Agbayani said. "Most people don't know there is that (affidavit) provision."

Agbayani, a U.S. citizen, won't be grappling with the issue herself. But Jun Colmenares, who heads the Congress of Visayan Organizations, is a Filipino national, as are his wife and son.

They've been permanent residents of the United States for a little more than the five years required for citizenship applicants, Colmenares said, and they have been thinking of applying.

"We all really don't know what to do," he said. "I hope some people from the Philippines will come over and address this (affidavit) question.

"Maybe the best thing to do right now is really to wait."

Reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053.