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The month-long overseas absentee voting for overseas Filipinos commenced on Sunday, April 13, with the Comission on Elections (Comelec) officially ending the test voting period for Registered Overseas Voters (ROVs) enrolled in the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) one minute before midnight.

A statement from Comelec Spokesman John Rex Laudiangco on Sunday, April 13 bared that the test voting period concluded at exactly 11:59 p.m., Saturday, April 12,.in accordance with Resolution No. 11061.

Among the features of the OVCS is the Test Voting wherein ROVs have been given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the features of the new system.

"The Overseas Voting Period officially commences today, April 13, 2025 and will run until 7:00PM, May 12, 2025 PST, synchronized with the end of voting hours in the Philippines," read the statement.  

There are 1.321 million registered overseas Filipino voters in the upcoming May 12 mid-term polls.

Major overseas Filipino worker (OFW) hubs with the largest voter populations are the United Arab Emirates (189,892), United States (178,033), Saudi Arabia (130,711), Hong Kong (83,330), and Taiwan (71,009).

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said over the weekend that the poll body's target was to get 50 percent of the 1.321 million, especially with the introduction of Internet voting via OVCS.

Garcia said that of the 93 posts abroad, 77 will use Internet voting, where Filipinos could vote through their gadgets, such as cellphones, tablets, and laptops.

Laudiangco, in the same statement, said that the start of voting in the countries with enrolled ROVs was 8 a.m., April 13, local time.

"Dahil dito, ang mga lugar sa New Zealand (GMT+12) na nasasakupan ng Wellington Philippine Embassy (PE) ay ang kauna-unahang magsisimula ng botohan  (Because of this, areas in New Zealand [GMT+12] that are under the Wellington Philippine Embassy [PE] will be the first to commence voting)," he said.

It will be followed by Australia at Guam, under Sydney Philippine Consul General (PCG), Melbourne PCG, Canberra PE, and Agana PCG; Japan and Korea under Nagoya PCG, Osaka PCG, Tokyo PE, and Seoul PE; Brunei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Macau, Indonesia, Taiwan and Singapore under Brunei PE, Hong Kong PCG, Kuala Lumpur PE, Macau PCG, Manado PCG, MECO Kaohsiung, MECO Taichung, MECO Taipei, and Singapore PE; and Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia under Bangkok PE, Hanoi PE, Phnom Penh PE, Vientiane PE and Jakarta PE.

They will be followed by Bangladesh under Dhaka PE; India under New Delhi PE; Pakistan under Islamabad PE; United Arab Emirates and Oman under Abu Dhabi PE, Dubai PE, and Muscat PE; and Greece, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, and Israel under Athens PE, Amman PE, Doha PE, Jeddah PCG, Riyadh PE, Kuwait PE, Manama PE, and Tel Aviv PE.

Next will be Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Romania, Denmark, Italy, Norway, France, Czech Republic, Rome, Sweden, The Netherlands, The Vatican, Poland, Egypt, and South Africa under Barcelona PCG, Madrid PE, Berlin PE, Berne PE, Geneva PCG, Frankfurt PCG, Brussels PE, Budapest PE, Copenhagen PE, Milan PCG, Rome PE, Oslo PE, Paris PE, Prague PE, Stockholm PE, The Hague PE, Vatican PE, Warsaw PE, Cairo PE, and Pretoria PE.

They will be followed by Portugal, United Kingdom, and Morocco under Lisbon PE, London PE, and Rabat PE; Brazil and Argentina under Brasilia PE and Buenos Aires PE; United States of America (USA), Canada, and Chile under New York PCG, Ottawa PE, Toronto PCG, and Santiago PE; USA under Chicago PCG and Houston PCG; and Mexico under Mexico PE; USA and Canada under Los Angeles PCG, San Francisco PCG, Washington D.C. PE, and Vancouver PCG; and USA under Honolulu PCG.