By Bernadette H. Carreon
Horizon news staff

The Philippine Embassy is again urging registered Filipino voters in Palau to cast their votes by May 14.
Ambassador Ramoncito Marino appealed to the registered voters to go to the embassy as the deadline of 4 p.m. on May 14, gets closer.
Marino said there was a low turnout of voters compared to 2004’s presidential election, so far only 360 has cast their votes, there are over 2,832 Filipino voters registered in Palau.
The voters will select 12 out of 37 senatorial candidates and one party-list or sectoral group out of 93 organizations.
People can cast their votes at the Philippine Embassy on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and on weekends from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Embassy will be open on holidays to accommodate voters.
Voting on the last day however will be only until 4 p.m.
Marino said that the Filipinos should exercise their right to vote.
"I hope that Filipinos in Palau will exercise their right to vote. In this way, they will participate in determining who our next leaders will be. The Philippine Government has mobilized all 86 Philippine embassies and consulates all over the world so that the 500,000 registered OFW voters and 18,404 registered seafarer voters can cast their ballots," the Ambassador said.
He said in a statement from the embassy that in order to vote, one must have registered as an overseas voter in the Embassy during the voter registration period in 2003 or in September 2005 to October 2006.