MANILA, Philippines — The Parish Pastoral Council on Responsible Voting (PPCRV) on Tuesday emphasized that voter education should be continuous to serve and benefit not just the voters but every citizen.
According to PPCRV Voter Education Committee Head Ana De Villa-Singson, voter education should not happen in a rush so Filipinos can learn something from it.
“It’s not just voters who need this because if we’re only teaching voter’s education, it’s like for every three years only. Education is only triggered every election. It should not be like that,” she said.
READ: PPCRV underscores Filipino values in ‘Tibok Pinoy’ book launch
“For education to be genuine, it should not be rushed and it should be continuous. Because that is how you really learn something, it’s a continuous education,” she added.
De Villa-Singson also said there is a need to bring back values in discussions and schools to continue honing citizens as model Filipinos.
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“It’s so disappointing because there is so much talk about corruption. There is so much talk about war. There is so much talk about anger. There is so much talk about divisiveness. It seems like values are forgotten. It seems like they have been chased out of the classroom. They were chased even out of their homes so let’s bring them back,” she noted.
The PPCRV on Tuesday launched “Tibok Pinoy” book, the council’s values development program that underscores Filipino values for responsible voting. The program was an outcome of crowd-sourced knowledge from a survey conducted among Filipinos on which characteristics a model Filipino should possess.
PPCRV Chairperson Evelyn Singson described the “Tibok Pinoy” book as the “heart” of the council’s voter education program.
Further, De Villa-Singson is hopeful that their values program will have a positive impact on the incoming 2025 national and local elections.
“This is not going to be quick. Values are not formed overnight so the [values program] needs to be continuous. That’s why it’s a system. That’s why there are many choices [in the books] so you can easily go back and choose from the options of the same value,” De Villa-Singson added.
PPCRV is a national parish-based and non-partisan organization that advocates for clean and honest elections. The Commission on Elections accredited the council, along with the National Movement for Free Elections, as the citizens’ election watchdogs for the 2025 midterm elections.