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Velasco calls for safe, free 2022 elections amid Covid-19 threat

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Tuesday urged the government to ensure a free and fair vote while protecting public health in the upcoming May 2022 national elections amid the ongoing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) threat.

In a forum titled, “Imagining the 2022 National Elections: the Many Ways the Covid-19 Pandemic can Impact the Electoral Process”, Velasco said the government should balance the need for a free and democratic elections while keeping everyone safe during the public health crisis.

“The pandemic ground the world to an almost complete halt, but our democratic processes must endure. The greatest of these democratic processes, of course, is suffrage,” Velasco said. “Ang ating mga kababayan ay nararapat na hayaang makapili ng mga mamumuno sa isang bukas at malayang eleksyon (We should allow the public to choose their leaders in free and open elections).”

Velasco cited the recently-concluded Palawan plebiscite that served as a testing ground for the 2022 elections, highlighting the implementation of health safety measures such as temperature checks, social distancing, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for election front-liners.

He said the pandemic will most likely transform the traditional electoral system, just like what it did to the country’s educational system.

He noted that the person-to-person campaigns and public hall debates will most likely move to the online sphere.

“We must ensure, therefore, that the voice of those who have less in life, those who do not have easy access to internet-ready devices shall still be heard by the candidates,” he said.

He said the greatest challenge would be convincing Filipinos, especially the youth, to go out and exercise their democratic right to vote in next year’s polls amid the coronavirus threat.

“Obligasyon po nating lahat na hikayatin ang bawat isang Filipino, lalo na ang ating mga kabataan, na magparehistro upang makaboto at sa araw ng halalan ay pumunta sa mga presinto upang makaboto nang buong laya at katapatan (It is our obligation to encourage every Filipino, especially the youth, to register to vote and go to their precincts to vote freely and fairly),” he said.

Earlier, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said 600,000 deactivated voters have registered again for the next polls.

The Comelec said the number of new voters is now at over 4.3 million, surpassing its target of four million.

Source: Philippines News Agency