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| (L-R) Young Public Servants Executive Director Justin Muyot, YouthLed Chief of Party Natalie Christine V. Jorge, COMELEC Chairman Erwin Garcia, COMELEC Commissioner Socorro Inting, COMELEC Commissioner Nelson Celis (Image Source: YouthLed PH) |
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Young Public Servants (YPS), in partnership with Youth Leadership for Democracy (YouthLed), to advance voter’s education and conduct a campaign to fight disinformation. The signing ceremony marks an important milestone in building a more informed and engaged youth as COMELEC, YPS, and YouthLed will work together to cultivate a culture of civic responsibility and informed decision-making among young voters. The partnership also brings the Filipino youth to the forefront of electoral engagement, emphasizing the critical role they play in upholding democracy and nation-building.
“Formalizing our longstanding partnership with COMELEC and YPS further empowers the Filipino youth in the democratic space. This recognizes the importance of youth electoral and political participation as fundamental contributors to good governance. Together, this partnership will prioritize youth voices and platforms to build a more active, cohesive, and inclusive society,” said YouthLed Chief of Party Natalie Christine V. Jorge. Key areas of cooperation revolve around promoting voter’s education and registration activities for the 2025 national and local elections, strengthening civic education, and amplifying youth participation in democracy through sharing of resources and leveraging networks and platforms. Through intensified efforts to promote voter education, the partnership will also work on fighting disinformation by equipping young voters on how to critically assess information, better understand the electoral process, and vote based on issues and policies.
“With this, we help transform voters from being passive participants to active stakeholders in their own future and the future of their community,” Ms. Jorge added. Planned activities outlined in the MOU also include jointly implementing initiatives on youth development, civic engagement, and democratic participation to engage more youth in the electoral process. Interregional collaboration and cooperation with key stakeholders are also an integral part of the partnership. COMELEC field offices will work with youth organizations to localize election initiatives and strengthen voter education campaigns across the country. To complement these efforts, YouthLed will work with Kabilang Ka! election partners composed of youth networks and organizations nationwide. During the last 2022 national elections and 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, YouthLed together with its partners implemented civic and voter education initiatives, reaching and engaging over 4 million youth and contributing to COMELEC’s goal of promoting voter’s education and registration in the country.
