By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

THE Philippine Consulate on Guam has retrieved a number of “undeliverable” election packages mailed by the Philippine Commission on Elections to Filipino absentee voters on Guam.
The consulate has released a list of recipients of the retrieved mails (see list) containing the ballots for the 2007 Philippine midterm elections.
Consul General Teresita Mendiola urged recipients whose names appeared on the list to  claim their mails, cast their ballots and send them to the consulate on or before 5 p.m. on May 14.
The absentee voting process began on April 17. The regular election date in the Philippines is scheduled for May 14, the same day that the one-month absentee voting process ends.
Up for grabs at the Philippine midterm elections are seats for the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as positions for  governor, vice governor, provincial board seats and mayoral, vice mayoral, and city and municipal council seats in Metro Manila and the provinces.
At  least 600 Filipino and Filipino-American voters on Guam are certified by Comelec to participate in the Overseas Absentee Voting program.
So far, Mendiola, said the consulate has received about 150 ballots that were either mailed or delivered personally.
“We have adopted voting by mail because we know that the mailing system in Guam is efficient,” Mendiola said.
However, she said, some mails could not find their way to their recipients either because the voters have changed their residence or the information records did not have their complete addresses.
“Some of the mails that could not be delivered to the voters were sent to our office,” Mendiola said.
She said the consulate has coordinated with Guam Postmaster General Tony San Nicholas to facilitate a system to allow the Philippine Consulate to claim undeliverable election mails.
“What we’re trying to do is locate these voters through the phone numbers that they have in their records,” Mendiola said.
The Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 was enacted to ensure  equal opportunity to all qualified citizens of the Philippines abroad in the exercise of their right to participate in the election of president, vice-president, senators and party-list representatives.

Should you have any knowledge of their current whereabouts or contact details, call the Consulate phone numbers: 646-4620 or 646-7965, or  e-mail pcgagana@ite.net, to the attention of SBRCG.
 
 Undelivered mails    
1. Carlos M. Gaviola
2. Salvador E. Hapin
3. Joie G. Macalino
4. Oswald D. Espion
5. Maria Cecilia M. Bacod
6. Wiliber G. Morales
7. Carlos O. Palua
8. Ma. Amor O. Toraja
9. Eileen C. Olac
10. Florencio V. Sahagun Jr
11. Jesus R. Ocheda   
12. Pascual V. Sevilla
13. Edwin P. Mendoza
14. Juan G. de Jesus
15. Allan Ted O. Ala
16. Romeo V. Manalo
17. Ezequiel A. Anis
18.Hermogenes S. Lao-Ang Jr
19. Pete C. Beriana
20. July G. Cosme
21. Ramil I. Hizon
22.Federico S. Bernardo Jr.
23.Marcelo R. Butac
24. Jesus A. Cadelina
25. Alfonso A. Dayrit
26. Reynaldo E. de Leon
27. Carlos A. de la Cruz
28. Orland V. Diones
29. Felicisimo D. Estrella Jr.
30. Melecio L. Galimba
31. Emmanuel I. Ganac
32. Grace R. Gargaceran
33. Janet A. Ibarra
34. Mario Ulysses L. Javier
35. Virgilio L. Langit
36. Alfredo P. Macapayag
37. Epifanio M. Macaraeg Jr.
38. Edgardo M. Magallanes
39. Pablo G. Mangaliag
40. Winstonita C. Manuel
41. Jimmy A. Morales Jr.
42. Benito Oledan
43. Alexander G. Orias
44. Elmer B. Pabion
45. Francisco R. Palomo
46. Rogelio O. Solo
47. Rustico T. Torres
48. Freddie A. Villanueva