Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 11) — The ongoing overseas voter registration in Israel has been postponed in consideration of the safety of Filipinos caught in the conflict between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“Indefinite po ang suspension natin at wala pa naman po tayong pinag-iisipan kung mag-e-extend tayo,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said Wednesday.
“Ang importante, protektado at nasa mayos na kalagayan ang mga kababayan natin, lalo na diyan sa Israel,\” he added.
[Translation: Our suspension is indefinite and we are not yet thinking about whether we will extend it. What’s important is that our countrymen are safe and in a good situation in Israel.]
The overseas voter registration for the May 2025 national elections began on Dec. 12, 2022, and will run until December 2024.
There were at least 9,900 active registered overseas voters recorded in Israel, according to the poll body’s July 2023 data.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that two Filipinos have been killed amid the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict.
