BAGUIO CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Baguio has expressed full support for a proposed ordinance establishing a Voter Education and Empowerment Committee to promote continuous voter education, especially among the youth.
“We appreciate this initiative. Voter education is something we regularly do during non-election months, and this ordinance formalizes and strengthens those efforts,” Comelec-Baguio Election Officer lawyer John Paul Martin said in a recent interview.
Martin said they regularly visit schools and attend Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) gatherings to highlight the importance of voter registration and participation. He expressed concern, however, over the low registration rate among the city’s 18-year-old residents.
Based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, only 9.5 percent of 18-year-olds in the city have registered for the 2025 national and local elections. He said this may explain why 61 of Baguio’s 128 barangays lack a complete set of SK officials, and 16 have none at all.
He emphasized that while Baguio recorded an 85 percent voter turnout in the last election, there remains a need to elevate public awareness about responsible voting. “When we settle for the minimum in choosing our leaders, we also settle for minimal public service. But if we aim higher, we raise the bar for governance,” he stressed.
Councilor Vladimir Cayabas, author of the proposed ordinance, said the measure aims to equip first-time voters, particularly the youth, with knowledge about their right to vote, its significance, and how to exercise it meaningfully.
The proposed committee will include representatives from the Comelec, the Department of Education-Baguio, the City Character Council, the People’s Council, SK Federation, youth groups, the religious sector, the academe, and the city council’s education committee.
The committee will lead youth engagement activities, promote voter education in schools and barangays, assist in electoral data gathering, and perform related functions to uphold and sustain voter empowerment in the city. (PNA)