Isle consulate offers
Philippine ballotsFilipinos living here may register
and vote in next year's election
Filipinos living in Hawaii who want to vote in the Philippines' national elections next year will have to register and vote at the consulate in Honolulu.
The registration period for the May 10 election will be Aug. 1 through Sept. 30 at the Philippine consulate at 2433 Pali Highway, according to the Philippine Consulate General. The voting period will be from April 1 through May 10, except for duly qualified Filipino seafarers who may vote from March until May 10.
When the Overseas Absentee Voting Act was signed into law earlier this year, Consul General Rolando Gregorio estimated that as many as 50,000 Filipino immigrants in Hawaii may be eligible to vote for president, vice president, Senate and some House seats.
The law allows for most Filipino immigrants over the age of 18 to vote unless they have renounced their Philippine citizenship, have been declared insane or incompetent, or convicted of a major crime.
Gregorio said because the registration and voting will take place on the consulate grounds, Filipinos living on the neighbor islands, American Samoa, French Polynesia and other areas in the consulate's jurisdiction will have to travel to Honolulu to register and then return to vote. There is no provision in the law for mail-in voting in the United States.
A portion of the law allowing overseas Filipinos to vote has been challenged in the Philippine Supreme Court, and a decision is expected soon, Gregorio said.
The court challenge seeks to overturn a portion of the law that would allow immigrants and permanent residents to vote if they sign an affidavit swearing that they plan to return to the Philippines to live within three years.
Another bill pending before the Philippine Congress would allow Filipino Americans to claim dual citizenship.
Gregorio said that if the bill passes, those people who have dual citizenship should be able to vote in Philippine elections. However, he said, the bill may not pass in time to allow Hawaii Filipinos to register for the May elections.
For more information, contact the Philippine consulate at 808-595-6316.
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Dual-citizenship bill would
give opportunities to local Filipinos
Hawaii real estate broker and naturalized U.S. citizen Nelly Pongco Liu says she will look into regaining her Philippine citizenship if a bill allowing dual citizenship is signed into law in the Philippines -- "especially if it benefits my business," she said.
If the bill becomes law, Pongco Liu and an estimated 2.5 million Filipinos who have become citizens of other countries may be able to reacquire their Filipino citizenship.
Dual citizenship would allow them to travel back to the Philippines without a visa and to own property and businesses in the Philippines.
Philippines Consul General to Hawaii Rolando Gregorio thinks dual citizenship will encourage business ties between Hawaii and the Philippines.
"They (Filipino Americans) would not be restricted anymore to do any kind of business in the Philippines as foreigners," he said. "Filipinos would travel many times to the Philippines, and when they go there, they bring products from here, and when they return they also bring our products.
"There will be a more vibrant exchange of trade, exchange of goods."
The law may also make it possible for overseas Filipinos to vote in Philippine elections, Gregorio said. There are 1.9 million naturalized Filipinos in the United States.
Donald Radcliffe, district director of immigration in Hawaii, said other countries such as Canada have dual-citizenship laws, even though the United States does not recognize dual citizenship.
"We expect them (immigrants) to swear allegiance to the United States. What they do with Filipino citizenship is a matter between them and the Philippine government. We don't interfere with that," he said.
East-West Center Philippines expert Gerry Finin said dual citizenship would be a natural outgrowth of ties that already exist between Hawaii and the Philippines.
"I think there is an increasing flow of culture and ideas and people in both directions," he said.
Finin said he does not think there will be a great effect on business. He said Filipino Americans who want to own property or run businesses in the Philippines are already able to do so using relatives as go-betweens.
"I can't see where it's going to fundamentally change the relationship between Filipino Americans and their homeland," he said.
But, Finin added, a dual citizenship is part of a broader globalization trend that is linking countries. "It's almost like the Philippines will begin to relate to the U.S. almost like Hawaii relates to the U.S. (mainland)," he said.
"With so much direct contact between the Philippines and the U.S., it's almost as if the Philippines is becoming like a neighbor island," he said.