MANILA, Philippines --- A party-list group promoting human rights assailed yesterday the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for allegedly concocting a formula that will break down the overseas absentee voting (OAV).

 Migrante Party-list issued the accusation as it claimed that here might not have enough ballots for overseas absentee voters for the 2013 mid-term elections in May.

 Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante Party-list first nominee, said

 “Then Comelec added insult to injury when it said that it does not expect any problems despite the shortage because they are projecting that not all registered OAVs will cast their votes. As early as now the Comelec is preparing the recipe for failure of the OAV and massive disenfranchisement of our OFWs,” Connie Bragas-Regalado Migrante Party-list first nominee said.

 After the widespread protest from overseas absentee voters worldwide, the Comelec recently reinstated 238,557 OAVs that it del-isted earlier.

 However, in its latest resolution, the Comelec has decided to just print an additional 20 percent of ballots allocated for the total number of registered OAVs which is expected to reach at least 900,000 for the 2013 midterm elections.

 “By doing so, the Comelec is discouraging our OFWs from exercising their right to cast their votes. How can they say that they don’t see any problem with the shortage in ballots? They are practically saying that massive disenfranchisement of OAVs is fine and acceptable,” Bragas-Regalado said.