The fact that overseas Filipino reside and work abroad does not make them lesser Filipinos and does not in any way justify their being stripped of their fundamental right to vote. Apart from their significant contribution to the Philippine economy as the source of much-needed dollars ($6.4 M official bank remittances in 1997), overseas Filipinos represent a distinct bloc, whose exposure to various cultures, different political systems and practices, and to new technology, distinguish them as anemerging social force whose talents and resources must be tapped towards national development.