Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The Philippine Embassy has advised all Filipino nationals in the Kingdom to register for overseas voting in the run-up to the 2016 general elections. The overseas voting registration will start on May 6 and continue until Oct. 31 pursuant to a COMELEC resolution on Jan. 15 this year. Explaining the details of the registration process, all Philippine citizens who are abroad or will be abroad during the 30-day voting period from April 9 to May 9, 2016, are eligible to register. They should be at least 18 on or before May 9. Seafarers (ship officers, offshore workers, service providers and fishermen) who are in the Kingdom during the registration period are also eligible. Filipinos who are disqualified by law due to the loss of citizenship, insanity or incompetence as certified by a competent authority and those convicted by Philippine courts for an offense punishable by imprisonment of not less than one year cannot register. Those who have previously registered as overseas voter need to apply. However, those who have registered as regular voters in the Philippines should go to the registration centers during the registration period for issuance of certification as overseas voters. Those seeking to register need to bring their valid passport or a copy and their iqama. Seafarers will have to produce a copy of the seaman's book or any other document to prove the applicant's status as a seafarer. The registration will be done at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh as well as at designated field registration centers. Tourism promotion A tourism delegation from the Philippines met with members of the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) in Riyadh recently in an effort to attract Saudi investment in the tourism industry. The delegation, which was led by chief tourism operations officer Raymond Glen Agustin of the Department of Tourism (DOT), met with CSC's National Tourism Committee Chairman Mohammed Al Mojel. The group informed Al-Mojel of the Philippine government's thrust to increase awareness of the Philippines as a top-quality tourism destination among Saudi tourists through more visible marketing on print and electronic media and collaborating on attractive tour packages with local travel agencies and airlines. Al-Mojel urged the visitors to focus on promoting the Philippines as a family-friendly destination with a preference for attractions in the provinces. The Philippine delegation had participated in the 2014 Riyadh Travel Fair at the Kingdom Tower recently. At the fair, the delegation met with Hussain Bin Mushayt, tourism department manager of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), and discussed DOT's tourism promotion plans in Riyadh and the Eastern Province. Mushayt expressed his excitement about the intensified tourism promotion by the Philippine government in the Kingdom and pledged RCCI's cooperation and support for the efforts. — SG
