Comelec, CHED form partnership to promote voter education

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has collaborated with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to promote voter education among young people ahead of the May 9 polls.

Comelec Executive Director Bartolome Sinocruz Jr. and CHED Executive Director Cinderella Filipina Jaro signed on Thursday a memorandum of agreement (MOA) in connection with the partnership at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila.

“Without [a] doubt ang partnership na ito will enhance tremendously the voters’ education capability… This will also increase voter turnout and moreso siguro, yung sinasabi nating voters’ understanding [of] how the election processes are being conducted,” Sinocruz said in his speech.

(Without a doubt, this partnership will enhance tremendously the voters’ education capability… This will also increase voter turnout and, moreso, the voters’ understanding of how the election processes are being conducted.)

“Ang mas importante talaga is the total understanding of how the election process is being done so that they can vote intelligently and efficiently which, in turn, will complete our orderly and peaceful elections,” he said.

(What’s most important is for the youth to have a total understanding of how the election process is being done so they can vote intelligently and efficiently, which, in turn, will complete our orderly and peaceful elections.)

Under the partnership, a voters' education forum will be held in all higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country. 

It aims to produce well-informed voters by informing the youth of their right to vote, how and when to register, who the candidates are, and the mechanics of the electoral process, among others.

The officials, however, clarified that the forums have already started in several areas, with Jaro reporting that such discussions have been conducted in Region 9. 

Around 3.6 million students are enrolled in HEIs across the country. According to Jaro, the majority of the students are aged 18—the voting age in the Philippines—and above. —VBL, GMA News