A virtual signing of the tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was conducted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), on Thursday, March 24, in relation to the 2022 national and local elections.
The 2022 tripartite MOA aims to create additional guidelines or parameters during the election period and reimplement the 2013 MOA between the three agencies.
“On the salient clauses and provisions of the tripartite MOA, the parties commit to identify, share, and cooperate on the ways by which undesirable political activities equating to political partisanship, maneuvering, and other election incidents can be deterred,” said DSWD Internal Audit Service Officer in Charge (OIC) Attorney Paul Tacorda.
However, the recently signed 2022 MOA does not replace nor change the 2013 MOA and the derivative joint memorandum circular. This, according to the three agencies, serves as an “extension of the rules and obligations” stated by the signatories in 2013.
Meanwhile, the “most important difference” is that the three agencies have pledged and are obliged to continue the parameters, rules, and regulations that will be developed by the technical working group.
“Our Department, together with the DILG and Comelec, collaborated to strengthen the previous MOA and institutionalize initiatives beyond this election period,” said DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista.
Present during the signing were DSWD Internal Audit Service OIC Atty. Tacorda, DSWD Secretary Bautista, Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan, and DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya.
In 2013, the tripartite MOA was signed by the Comelec, DSWD, and DILG for the “Bawal ang Epal” campaign.