The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will partner with Democracy Watch Philippines to promote voter education among Filipino youth and first-time voters in the May 2022 polls.
Comelec and Democracy Watch Philippines will formally sign an agreement on Friday, March 4 in Intramuros, Manila.
Comelec said 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.
"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," Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a statement.
He explained 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.
"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," Jimenez said.
Comelec said it will 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.
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.