Learning session on COMELEC appointments held

QUEZON CITY - PARTICIPATE has consistently highlighted the paramount role of a politically independent and technically capable COMELEC in ensuring safe, peaceful, and credible elections, particularly as we expect the forthcoming polls not only to be challenging due to it being staged during a pandemic but as it is a highly polarizing and contentious presidential election.

Last 08 March 2022, the President already named three officials who will fill up the vacancies in the Commission. This second learning session comes in relevant to extend the engagement to the Coalition members and broaden the knowledge gained from the first learning session, and to further complement the Coalition's advocacy efforts. This learning session featured two distinguished former Commissioners of the COMELEC Commissioners Luie Tito Guia and Rowena Amelia Guanzon – who shared their expertise on the importance of the roles and responsibilities of these COMELEC officials in relation to the current and ongoing election preparations.

At least 147 participants logged-in via Zoom Webinar which includes some Coalition members, organizations with the same advocacies, and university students. Most of the participants came from the academe. There are also a great number of participants from the civil society sector and media persons were present to cover the event. The combined unique user count from Zoom and Facebook viewer count is 1,050.