Historic event
DON’T look now, but the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is out to ensure that every Filipino is able to exercise his/her right to vote.
Note that the framers of the country’s fundamental law of the land deemed it wise to consider the Comelec as a constitutional body.
Our Constitutional fathers wanted to strengthen the poll body’s position as the repository of the Filipino people’s supreme right of suffrage.
That’s why the poll body, chaired by election lawyer George Erwin Garcia, undertook what it called another “historic event” last Monday.
Comelec officials, led by Garcia, visited Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to witness the start of the voter registration there.
The seven-month voter registration for the May 12, 2025 national and local elections ends September 30 in time for the filing of certificates of candidacy in October.
Records show that in the last national and local elections in 2022, the Comelec recorded 521 registered voters in the island.
The barangay is part of the Municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan province, one of the favorite destinations of foreign and local tourists in the country.
It is not important if the number of voters on Pag-asa Island is not as many as in other towns and cities across the country, according to Garcia.
And we agree with the poll official that what’s important is that the Comelec is able to ensure that every Filipino is able to vote during elections.
In the tiny but scenic island in the WPS, the spirit of sovereignty and independence is very alive, despite being far away from the Luzon mainland.
Thus, the poll body deserves the support of the public as it tries to keep the machinery of our political processes in good running condition.
