A TOTAL of 338 foreigners have been accredited by the Commission on Elections to observe the conduct of the May 9 national and local elections in the country.
In his speech during the briefing conducted for international poll observers in Parañaque City, Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan urged the foreign observers to adhere to the guidelines put in place by the poll body.
“We ask that our monitors uphold the integrity of the elections through their compliance with our guidelines,” said Pangarungan. “We are confident that our monitors will maintain their impartiality and objectivity throughout the electoral process.”
Under Comelec Resolution No. 10740, all poll observers shall have unimpeded access to all stages of the electoral process. They shall also be given unimpeded access to all persons concerned with electoral processes, such as Comelec officials, government officials, and political parties.
But poll observers are expected to respect the authority of election officials at all times, prominently display the Accredited Observer Pass at all times, and refrain from interfering with, obstructing, or hampering the conduct of any election related activity.
Poll observers are also expected to comply with existing health protocols, such as presenting vaccination cards or negative COVID test results.
The Comelec said all accredited observers are required to make a report of their observations and submit them to the Comelec on or before June 8, 2022.
