PPCRV eyes government schools for 2010 election programs

After getting the support of 1,200 private Catholic schools and other non-sectarian learning institutions, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) is planning to woo government schools to support their programs in preparation for the 2010 elections.

Former Ambassador of the Philippines to Rome Henrietta de Villa, national chairman of the PPCRV and the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), said that it is crucial that they get the support of public schools and universities since they make up the majority of young voters.

She said 70 percent of voters are from public schools and the out-of-school youth sector, while the Catholic and other private schools only make up 30 percent.

The PPCRV has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) and the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (Cocoped) to help the group in its poll education campaign.

The chairperson of the two election watchdogs said they are “still trying to get a foothold with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

“I am still trying to find a channel. We have until March to get CHED to sign a similar memorandum of agreement (MOA).

“At least with the Catholic and non-sectarian schools, we would be able to start a call for change,” she added.

De Villa, who believes in the importance of the youth vote, said that if they would use the United Nations’ definition of “youth,” the age group would be from 18 to 35 years. The young Filipinos could show their force and produce 30 million voters on election day.

“Their number is not only enough to have a swing vote, but to elect the four top leaders” in the country, she added.

In line with their vision to educate first-time voters, the PPCRV and Namfrel are also considering tapping the National Service Training Program (NSTP) of tertiary students.

CEAP president Monsignor Gerardo Santos believed that the programs would fit the purpose of NSTP as part of the college curriculum.

“I won’t have any problem with that. We may have to include that as part of our implementing guidelines because NSTP is really a social exposure, social transformation concern, so if we include that we need to have a template to prepare for that,” Santos said.

The MOA aims to ensure a clean and credible registered voters’ list for the 2010 elections. The measures can be realized through the call to amend Republic Act 8189, an intensive campaign for continuing registration, cleansing of voters’ list, and poll watching.  – Evelyn Macairan