DUMAGUETE City – The electoral board of the Diocese of Dumaguete eyes the deployment of some 15,000 volunteers for the upcoming May 12 national and local elections.
According to Msgr. Julius Perpetuo Heruela, panel convenor and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) coordinator for Negros Oriental and Siquijor, the volunteers would assist before, during, and after election day.
“The volunteers include poll watchers, technical personnel, logistics, and other support staff,” Heruela said.
As an umbrella organization of the PPCRV and other organizations, the Diocesan Electoral Board (DEB) is recognized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as a partner during electoral exercises.
The DEB advocates CHAMP, meaning clean, honest, accurate, meaningful, and peaceful elections.
The board has conducted voter education training in coordination with partner schools ahead of the May 12 polls.
About 100 volunteers from the different parishes attended a parallel event focused on responsible and factual reporting and countering misinformation, and disinformation.
The volunteers were told to maximize the use of social media in promoting CHAMP elections while reporting at the same time incidents related to the forthcoming political exercise.
The Comelec has tapped the PPCRV and the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) as citizens’ arms during the May midterm elections.
