By BELINDO AGUILAR
Cor Jesu College
DIGOS CITY, Davao del Sur.–Go to mass and learn how to vote.
This is the message of a unique brand of voter education campaign that the Church and civil society groups launched here, with a month to go before elections.
Before every mass at the Mary Mediatrix Cathedral in Digos, churchgoers will learn all about the automated election system (AES) via a video presentation.
“While local electoral campaigns are in full swing, there is a growing apprehension whether people are fully informed and ready for an automated election,” Dante Aguilar of Cor Jesu College said during the Trainers’ Training on Automated Election System held at Arnaldos Hotel and Restaurant yesterday.
Over 80 participants from Sta. Cruz, Bansalan, Magsaysay, Matanao, Hagonoy, and Digos City committed to conduct massive community-based voter education and information campaign among professionals, women, and the youth.
The civil society participants–who are now part of the nationwide Bantay Eleksyon (BE2010) network–will also recruit volunteers who can monitor the elections, especially during and after the actual voting exercises.
Updates, violations of electoral laws and rules, and other incident reports can be filed via text or email to the BE 2010 regional and national network.
BE 2010 is a coalition of electoral stakeholders led by the Consortium on Electoral Reforms (CER). BE 2010, along with the Technical Assistance Center for the Development of Rural and Urban Poor (TACDRUP), and The Asia Foundation, were the organizers of the one-day training-workshop.
The participants agreed that as citizens “we must be vigilant to make sure that this first automated election will be honest, clean and credible.”