Posts tagged with voters registration

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December 14, 2009

COMELEC should resume voters registration

This is the latest article I contributed for the BlogWatch project of the Philippine Online Chronicles.

A cornerstone principle and bedrock of our 1987 Constitution is that the Philippines is a republican and democratic state. One of the hallmarks of democracy is the people’s right to vote, a basic right upon which the fabric of any democracy is founded.

Last October 29, 2009, Kabataan Partylist, together with youth leaders from various organizations, along with prospective first-time voters, went to the Supreme Court to file a petition that, if granted by the Court, would urge the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to resume the registration of voters until January 9, 2010 from its self-imposed deadline of October 31, 2009.

The petition was based on two legal arguments. First, the October 31 deadline of the COMELEC is seventy (70) days short of the deadline prescribed by law under the Voters Registration Act of 1996. Second, for effectively amending the law by setting the deadline prior to the prescribed date, COMELEC usurped the legislative power of Congress.

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October 30, 2009

Legality of shortened voter registration questioned in Supreme Court

As youths and new registrants endure long lines to register for the 2010 polls, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Mong Palatino today questioned the legality of the Commission on Election’s shortening of the period of continuing registration up to tomorrow October 31.

Palatino today filed a Petition for Certiorari and Mandamus with Application for Preliminary Mandatory Injunction before the Supreme Court today. The full text of the petition may be read at http://tinyurl.com/yhyqwov.

Other petitioners were Jade Charmane Rose Valenzuela, Jacqueline Alexis Merced, Ana Katrina Tejero, Kenneth Carlisle Earl Eugenio and Victor Louis Crisostomo, all first-time-voters who tried but failed to register due various reasons; and Alvin Peters, president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), Vijae Alquisola, president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), Ken Leonard Ramos, chairperson of Anakbayan, and, Ma. Cristina Angela Guevarra, chairperson of the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP).

The petitioners stated that the Comelec violated the people’s right to register and, thus, right of suffrage, when it issued and implemented Comelec Resolution No. 8585, dated February 12, 2009, fixing the deadline of application of registration of voters on October 31, 2009, more than two months earlier than is prescribed by Republic Act. No. 8189 or The Voters Registration Act of 1996.

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September 14, 2009

Panata ng Brownman Revival

Our friends at Brownman Revival are helping us promote the Panata 2010 campaign to encourage the youth, not only to register for the 2010 elections, but to actively participate in the elections and in the campaign the change the course of how our country is governed.

We went to one of their gigs last Thursday at 70′s Bistro to shoot some footage for a campaign video we are making for Panata 2010. Last week, we were able to shoot support footage from Kamikazee.

Panata ng Brownman Revival Panata ng Brownman Revival Panata ng Brownman Revival Panata ng Brownman Revival Panata ng Brownman Revival Panata ng Brownman Revival

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August 24, 2009

Kabataan proposes employees’ day-off for voters’ registration

Kabataan Party-list Representative Raymond “Mong” Palatino today proposed a ‘day-off with pay’ for employees to allow them to register for the 2010 elections. (see House Resolution 1336)

“Employees who work during office hours do not have time to register. By the time their shift ends, government offices conducting voters’ registration have already closed. Companies should give their employees one day-off on or before the deadline for voters’ registration to ensure that they will be able to participate in the 2010 polls, especially since most first-time workers are also first-time voters,” Palatino said.

Palatino cited the 100% Employee Voters Registration Program of Nexus, a Business Process Outsourcing Company, as an example of such an initiative. “While there are companies that launch voters’ registration programs, it would be better if all companies are mandated by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to give their employees a whole day off for them to register,” he said.

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August 22, 2009

Isang Milyon, Isang Panata Launch

Isang Milyon, Isang Panata Launch Isang Milyon, Isang Panata Launch

With two months left before the Commission on Elections ends the continuing registration for new voters for the 2010 elections, and with only less than one million registrants out of the target five million new voters, Kabataan Partylist and the National Union of Students of the Philippines launched last Thursday, August 20, the Isang Milyon, Isang Panata campaign to rally and encourage the youth to participate in the upcoming elections. The program was held at a conference room in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Student representatives from different schools around Manila were present.

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August 19, 2009

Isang milyong kabataan, isang panata para sa pagbabago

Isang milyon, isang panata. Isang libo isang bayan, isang milyon sa buong bansa, lahat namamamanata para sa pagbabago. Ito ang sama-samang pagtutulungang abutin ng kabataan at bayan. “Panata naming bumoto. Panata naming bantayan ang boto. Panata naming kumilos para sa pagbabago.” Ito ang mga katagang bibigkasin ng milyong kabataan at mamamayan. Kolektibong boses, sama-samang panata.

See you tomorrow at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) at 10 AM for the launching of the nationwide voters registration campaign!

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May 10, 2009

Kabataan launches countdown before 2010 elections

365 days to go

“Kabataan, tayo ang pagbabago.”

This was the message of Kabataan Party-list together with other youth and student groups as they launched a “˜youth countdown to 2010′ today.

Kabataan Party-list kicked off the countdown with a Voters’ Registration and Education campaign dubbed, “˜We Are Change‘.

Other sponsors of the effort were the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND-UP), College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), Student Christian Movement, League of Filipino Students, Kabataang Artista para sa Tunay na Kalayaan, Anakbayan and Youth ACT Now (Youth for Truth and Accountability Now).

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Mong Palatino said, “We are aware of numerous initiatives by various sectors to launch voters’ awareness and education projects and we express our desire to cooperate with them. “˜We Are Change,’ however, signifies the forging of youth unity for youth empowerment and active participation for change in 2010 and beyond. This is our very own countdown to change, initiated by the youth. Kabataan, tayo ang pagbabago.”

Palatino said that the We Are Change campaign aims to reach the 11 million first-time voters for 2010.

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