The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and election watchdog Democracy Watch Philippines will enter into an agreement to promote voter education among Filipino youth and first time voters in the upcoming 2022 polls.
The voter education campaign called Vote Right 2022! is a series of seminars and lectures to be conducted in partnership with various schools, universities and non-government organizations nationwide using virtual platforms.
“We recognize that educating and empowering the youth sector on right of suffrage is a collective duty that falls upon not just the Commission but the entire Filipino community-it really does take a village,” Spokesperson James Jimenez said. “Thus we fully support initiatives that focus on young and first-time voters, because the numbers clearly show that they comprise a huge chunk of registered voters in the May 9 elections.”
As a non-government poll watchdog, DemWatch in recent years has been a key resource organization in various congressional hearings of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the Automated Elections System (JCOC-AES), Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms of the House of Representatives, and Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation in the Senate.
“DemWatch was Comelec’s partner as early as in the 2016 elections and has extended significant assistance in our voter education programs. We hope to replicate our gains then in the 2022 polls,” Jimenez added.
Comelec commits to field resource persons for its various activities. Subject to pertinent data privacy laws, rules and regulations, DemWatch will also be given access to data necessary for the fulfilment of the objectives under the agreement. (Comelec)
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