As the election campaign was ongoing, the Women’s Resource Center of Visayas, Inc. conducted voters’ education for the women’s organizations last March 2022.
Renante T. Angcos, Election Officer 3 of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in Minglanilla was a resource person during the monthly meeting of the Tungkop Women’s Organization on March 23, 2022. Mr. Angcos talked about the importance of voters exercising their right to vote this coming elections on May 9, 2022.
He also cited some statistics that there are more women voters than men in the Philippines so that women have a crucial say in electing candidates who are pro-women and banner their interests. He also pointed out that there is a need for more women to run for government positions since men still dominate the political field until the present.
Mr. Angcos also stressed that voters have to be particular about overvoting which means that they should not vote for more candidates than what are allowed, e.g., only one president, one vice-president, 12 senators, and one Partylist, congressman, governor, vice-governor, mayor, and vice-mayor, otherwise, their votes will be rendered invalid.
During the monthly meeting of the Calajoan Women’s Organization on March 25, 2022, voters’ education was also discussed. Project staff Jerhald Agcang stressed on the need to maintain free and honest election, that it should not be tainted with fraud, rigging, and violence and should produce a legitimate result. He said that the legitimacy of the next government resides in the honest and free exercise of the people’s right to suffrage.
He pointed out that the most powerful safeguard against election fraud is the awareness and vigilance of every voter.
He also challenged the members that we should all use our conscience to choose the right leaders, to be informed of the issues, platforms, performance records, competence, lifestyle of the candidates, and to choose candidates who show their commitment to integrate, foremost, the interests and welfare of the citizens in their program of government, including the interests of the women sector.