Despite the prevalence of cyberattacks in the Philippines, the proposed internet voting will likely materialize by 2025 mid-term elections.

In an interview with Daily Tribune’s Usapang OFW on Tuesday, OFW Partylist Rep. Marissa Magsino said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is all set to implement online voting for migrant Filipino workers in local and national polls in May next year despite the corresponding bill yet to hurdle the Senate.

Magsino, one of the principal authors of the proposed Internet Voting Act, allayed fears that electronic voting is susceptible to hacking, claiming that the measure has enough safeguards to protect it from cyber crooks.

“There is a QR code that will be given when pre-registering to use internet voting. There is a passcode, there are safety measures,” said Magsino, adding that biometrics and face recognition will also be required.

The proposed Internet Voting Act aims to expand the options for registration and voting for Filipinos abroad under existing laws by including Internet or electronic registration and voting through available technologies.

“This is a benefit that our government should gift to our OFWs to make them feel that they are one with us and that they have a voice in electing a public servant who can help them,” Magsino explained.

In 2022, at least 1.6 million OFWs had registered to vote in the national and local polls.

However, only 600,000, or 35.5 percent, were able to cast their vote.

“It is clear that because the consulate or embassy is distant, [plus the tendency that] they will be scolded by their employer, they will not have a salary, they will lose their job, they will [rather]not vote,” the lawmaker lamented.

The measure, which the House of Representatives passed last week, seeks to facilitate and encourage overseas Filipino workers, including seafarers, to exercise their right to suffrage while protecting their privacy and the sanctity of their ballots.

It also expands the prohibited acts under the law to include theft, concealment, alteration, destruction, mutilation, manipulation, and tampering of electronic data or information.

The Comelec has announced that electronic voting will be the primary mode of casting ballots for overseas Filipinos in 2025, except in countries with internet restrictions, where mail-in and physical voting will likely be implemented in around 17 Philippine Posts worldwide.