In the poll body's first-ever election summit, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia stated that they aim to be a commission that "hears and listens".
In his speech on the first day of the summit, Garcia explained that the summit is about getting all the help, guidance, criticisms as well as well-meaning suggestions from the public to further improve the conduct of all electoral exercises in the country.
He added that even with Comelec's mandate and duty to administer and enforce election laws in the country through the 1987 Constitution, the poll body admittedly, cannot do it alone.
"For we believe that a leader who abandons and rejects good policies and programs coming from the citizenry is not a wise leader. Leadership must not be arrogant, self-centered and short-sighted. Furthermore, it is not important whether the citizen is attacking us or defending us. What is important is that he is heard," he said.
"We want to be a Commission that hears and listens. The inevitable consequences of not listening to the people is disenfranchisement, disaffection, distrust and dissidence. We do not want to be in the wrong side of history," he added.
In the end, Garcia stated that the strength of the country's democratic system lies in the opportunity it allows its people to examine and correct Comelec's own excesses and shortcomings.
He also mentioned that they, as the servants of the people, must act accordingly.
"As I welcome you today in this historic summit, please bear in mind that we all consider you as our partners in the service of God and country as we in the Commission commit under oath the principle of transparency, accountability and inclusivity," he said.
"This, as we pursue our goal of "One Vision, One Mission, One Commission" to be true to our commitment to be the COMELEC of the Filipino people. Lahat ng ito ay para sa bayan," he added.
According to Comelec, the summit aims to provide a platform for national dialogue, and consultation with election stakeholders in the enhancement of policies, plans, and programs in election administration and enforcement of election laws.
The election summit will focus on the following topics:
- voter registration
- voting, counting, and canvassing processes;
- campaign finance and fair elections;
- filing of Certificate of Candidacy, party-list accreditation, and adjudication of cases;
- teachers as members of the electoral boards; and
- integration of voter education in the K-12 Curriculum, tertiary education, and the National Service Training Program (NSTP)
The summit will be held until March 10.