Comelec partners with Ched for voter education

Comelec logo. Graphic design by INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has partnered with the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) for voter education and information campaign.

Comelec and Ched signed a memorandum of agreement (Moa) on Thursday at the Palacio Del Gobernador Building.

According to Ched Executive Director Cinderella Filipina Benitez-Jaro, the following are the responsibilities of the education agency:

• Modelize higher education institutions (HEIs) to undertake activities and voter education
• Campaigns on voting procedures and candidates’ forums
• Provide facilities and manpower for in-campus education, information
• Dissemination of electoral activities and materials
• provide the facilities and manpower for the briefing of Ched and HEI volunteers by Comelec
• Ensure that HEIs which are part of the collaboration with Comelec will observe the conditions provided in Comelec issuances and regulations
• Ensure the commitment to the faithful compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act and all Comelec issuances and regulations

Benitez-Jaro stressed that voter education and information discuss details of the election day, individual’s rights as a voter, and how they could be empowered through voting.

For his part, Comelec Executive Director Bartolome Sinocruz Jr. noted that voter education will help increase voter turnout and understanding which will result in peaceful polls.

“This will help increase the voter turnout and more so siguro ‘yung sinasabi nating (maybe what we call) voter understanding on how the election processes are being conducted,” he said.

“Ang mas importante talaga sa (What’s important is) voter understanding, how the election processes are being done so that they can vote intelligently and efficiently which will, in turn, contribute to orderly, peaceful elections,” continued Sinocruz.

While the signing only took place eighteen days before the May 9 elections, Benitez-Jaro said that voter education and information were already conducted prior to their partnership with the poll body.

“Although the memorandum of agreement has just been signed now, it doesn’t mean that we’re only doing the voter’s education after this Moa signing,” she said.

“In fact, in our Region 9, we have already had the voter’s education forum. So, what we did was collaborate with our state university and college in Region 9. Our Ched office together with our state university and college in that area organized a voter’s education forum,” she added.

Comelec’s data shows there are 65.8 million registered voters, including 6.9 million new registrants.

JPV