Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, Pasay City
March 10, 2023

“From these pre-summit meetings, it came to our attention that several reforms in the election process must be made… we must act on it decisively and enforce concrete measures to turn our plans into reality,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. urged the participants of the 1st National Election Summit during its culmination at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City.

Speaking before various election stakeholders during the country’s first-ever National Election Summit, the President lauded the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) for spearheading the historic event that served as an effective platform in conducting a national dialogue and interaction among election stakeholders in developing policies, plans and programs in poll administration, enforcement and adjudication.

He also considered the event timely as COMELEC is preparing for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections this coming October.

Underscoring the need to discuss in detail the electoral processes to ensure accuracy of results, the Chief Executive called for the recalibration to capacitate the teachers as electoral board members. He also called for the inclusion of voter education in the K to 12, tertiary level and the National Service Program.

“Let us learn from the areas we need to improve and explore solutions to make things work better for our beloved country,” the President said.

To commemorate the historic event, COMELEC Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia, together with the COMELEC En Banc, formally handed over the National Election Summit Report to President Marcos Jr.

Carrying the theme, ‘Pagtutulungan sa Makabagong Halalan,’ the three-day Summit allowed election stakeholders to develop and commit to implementing strategies, governance mechanisms and policies that would build on the trust and strengthen confidence in the country’s election system.

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