THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said it is expecting some 400 poll stakeholders to attend the three-day National Election Summit (NES) set to be held this week at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City.
In an interview, Comelec chairman George Garcia said President Marcos Jr. is also expected to grace the convention, which will be held from March 8 to 10.
“Around 400 people, leaders, and interest groups for the elections are expected to attend in the summit. The highest ranking officials in government are invited, including the House Speaker (Martin Romualdez), the Senate President (Juan Miguel Zubiri), and the Vice President (Sara Duterte), while the President (Marcos) has confirmed attendance,” Garcia said.
The poll chief said ordinary Filipinos are likewise welcome to attend the event.
“Everyone who has an idea how to improve our election system are invited. The business of the elections is not just for the Comelec alone. Everybody who can must contribute in us taking that next step to improving our elections,” said Garcia.
He said the summit is expected to tackle numerous issues related to how elections are being held in the country, including teachers as electoral board members, curriculum integration of voters education, how to proceed with the automated elections, budget for the elections, election offenses and vote buying.
Garcia said the Comelec expects the discussions to be insightful as well as heated at times as attendees debate their differing insights.
“We expect some heated discussions since there will be proposals that may not be acceptable to some. However, we must be open and accept the fact that we have different opinions on how to run the elections,” said Garcia.
The Comelec had set the National Election Summit in early 2023 for a consultative, all-inclusive, and comprehensive discussion on the Philippine election system.
In preparation for the convention, the Comelec has been holding initial consultations with poll stakeholders, such as the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE), Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), ACT Teachers Partylist, Halalang Marangal, and Automated Election System (AES) Watch.
