The Japanese government is supporting voters’ education for the historic October 13 parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Japanese Ambassador Kazuya Endo said Tokyo extended a grant of ¥234 million (around P91 million) for “The Project for Raising Voters’ Awareness and Promoting Digitalization of Electoral Process in Bangsamoro,” which is being implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
He launched early this month the “Partnership for Informed Voting in BARMM” in Upi Maguindanao del Norte as part of such project, in collaboration with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Bangsamoro government, and election watchdog the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE).
“As the region approaches its first election, we now invest in the voices of the people—their ability to shape the future,” he said in his speech.
Endo stressed that voters’ education will empower the voters “to value the weight of their choices.”
With the essential knowledge on the Bangsamoro parliamentary election, voters can have a deeper stake in their future as proud members of the BARMM, he said.
The envoy noted that the voters’ education project forms part of Japan’s continuing commitment to support the peace process in Mindanao and economic development in the BARMM.
Endo said the project aims to provide clear and timely information in a voter-friendly manner, through the various languages spoken in the region.
Diverse media platforms will also ensure broader access through radio, app and digital kiosks, reaching far-flung communities “with greater efficiency,” he added.
“Through multilingual radio dramas, we aim to share strategic messages that appeal to voters’ interests. In effect, they will shape the region’s own future. A future which will sustain the dividends of peace for generations to come,” Endo said.
He said the education app developed under the project will help voters enhance their understanding of the BARMM’s electoral process.
“As we stand side-by-side in this first-ever Bangsamoro Parliament Election, may each ballot be a building block of the BARMM’s progress. Let these elections lead to a bright future—one that firmly carries the hopes and aspirations of the Bangsamoro,” Endo said.
Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia earlier said that only 73 seats – and not 80 – will be contested in the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections slated on October 13, citing “insufficient time” to implement Parliament Bill (PB) 351.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority announced on August 19 the passage on third and final reading of PB 351, which amends Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 58 to redistribute the seven district seats originally allocated to Sulu.
In September last year, the Supreme Court issued a ruling excluding Sulu from BARMM. Sulu rejected inclusion to the Bangsamoro region during the plebiscite in January 2019 by voting against the ratification of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the BARMM, popularly called the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
The BOL provides for an 80-seat parliament, 40 of them party representatives, 32 single districts and eight sectoral. Of the 32 districts, seven were allocated for Sulu. (Bong S. Sarmiento)
