By Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA
DUMAGUETE CITY – About 30 student leaders from different schools, colleges and universities in Dumaguete City on Tuesday gave their commitment to help achieve clean, honest, orderly and peaceful elections on May 19.
The pledge of commitment came after a meeting called for by the Diocesan Electoral Board (DEB) of the Diocese of Dumaguete, headed by lead convenor Msgr. Julius Perpetuo S. Heruela in efforts to tap the students and the youth for voters’ education campaigns.
On hand to witness the activity were lawyer Eliseo Labarias, Negros Oriental OIC Provincial Election Supervisor, and other members of the DEB working group.
Labarias, who spoke to the students earlier, highlighted the importance of the youth in the coming mid-term election.
He told them that they have a big role to play, considering that the youth comprises a large number of the voting population.
“Gikinahanglan nato ang youth para dako ang turnout sa voting karong panahona (We need the youth so we can achieve a large turnout of voters this time). Usually, the turnout in the country is between 80 percent and 85 percent,” Labarias said.
According to him, about one-third of the country’s voters belong to the youth sector.
“Usa ani ang voters’ education. Atong ipakita nato kanila ang ilang sense of patriotism nga importante sila sa nation-building nato (First off is the voters’ education. We need to show them a sense of patriotism because of their important role in nation-building),” Labarias said.
He lamented, however, that many of the youth today do not exercise their right to vote.
“Dili lang interesado. So far, among nakita nga lukewarm ang ilang perception sa atong process. Siguro kulang sila ug pagsalig o di ba kaha kulang ug pag-aghat nila para mu participate (They are simply not interested. So far, we have seen their lukewarm perception of the voting process, perhaps due to the lack of faith or encouragement for them to participate),” he said.
With the campus tours and the voters’ education campaigns coming up, Labarias said he hopes more young people come out to vote in May.
Heruela told the same group that in the coming days, campus tours would be scheduled with the Comelec bringing along a Vote Counting Machine (VCM) to teach the students how to use this on election day.
The priest also gave the students a background of the DEB as a citizens’ arm of the Comelec.
Peter Macabinguil, a DEB member, ran the students through the basic processes of the election and the activities of the citizens’ arm, and helped in the scheduling of the campus tours.
